Ankara (AFP) – After a pomp-filled welcome in Ankara where his NATO allies were at pains to keep him onside, US President Donald Trump was to get down to the hard business of the summit on Wednesday.
Issued on: 08/07/2026 - 03:36
3 min Reading time
As he landed in the Turkish capital, Trump was effusive in his praise for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their "chemistry" in remarks that contrasted sharply with his lingering bitterness with European allies over the war on Iran. "I was very disappointed with NATO," Trump repeated, setting the tone for the summit's main gathering where the alliance's 31 other leaders will come face-to-face with the mercurial US leader when the main session opens at 0815 GMT.The summit comes at a fraught time for the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance, with Trump demanding members make good on a pledge to ramp up defence spending as Washington takes a step back from Europe.On the eve of the key session, the alliance published figures showing core defence spending by Europe had risen by 11 percent in 2026 and would hit $634 billion, up from $571 billion a year earlier.Keen to avoid a new confrontation with Trump, NATO allies unveiled tens of billions in new arms contracts on Tuesday in a bid to prove they were making good on a pledge to hike defence spending.
