Ankara: Nato leaders unveiled arms deals worth billions of dollars in Turkiye Tuesday, driving home the message that they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe even as President Donald Trump said he felt let down.In a meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said he might have boycotted the Nato summit altogether had it not been for his warm relations with the Turkish leader, and did not rule out further troop withdrawals from Europe. “Well, we’re going to see. I was very disappointed with Nato,” he said. Trump added that “we weren’t treated well” by the allies, even as he reiterated that he did not want or need their help. “Before I asked, they said they wouldn’t be there, and we’ve invested trillions in Nato,” Trump said.Trump announced Washington would lift sanctions on Turkiye that were imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian air defence missiles. He also expressed a willingness to sell Turkiye F-35 fighter jets. The move would be a major gesture to Erdogan and remove a longstanding irritant in bilateral ties.Trump insists on Greenland:Trump insisted that the US should be in control of Greenland rather than Nato ally Denmark, repeating an assertion that has raised deep tensions in Europe. Trump said the island is “an important part” for the US, as he repeated his claim that it’s surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships and said he won’t let Greenland be threatened by them.Need def industry revolution: Nato secretary generalNato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday Europeans had made “staggering” increases in defence spending. Before Trump’s arrival, Rutte trumpeted a series of initiatives and deals at a defence industry forum, and called for a defence industry “revolution” across the alliance, warning over Russia’s massive military spending as well as China, North Korea and Iran. “We don’t have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it,” Rutte said.”The hum of machinery must become a roar.” The deals, estimated to be worth at least $50 billion according to one Nato official, included European countries buying surveillance drones from US company Northrop Grumman, and Nato buying planes from Sweden’s Saab‘Meloni’s a nice person’Trump called Italian PM Meloni a “nice person” but criticised her for failing to help in the conflict with Iran. “She refused to get involved so it soured my relationship with her a little bit. But I like her. I think she’s a nice person. But I think she made a mistake,” Trump said. Agencies
