Trump reaches Ankara as NATO unveils billion-dollar defence deals

Ankara,UPDATED: Jul 7, 2026 16:58 IST

US President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon for the NATO summit, as the alliance announced new military projects and contracts worth billions of dollars against the backdrop of his repeated criticism of NATO allies over defence spending. Trump was expected to head first to the presidential compound of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is hosting this year's gathering.

Just before Air Force One landed, NATO used a forum described as its "big reveal" to showcase a series of military projects. Secretary-General Mark Rutte called the spending "money well spent" and said the alliance would announce "tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend".

Speaking to ministers and defence industry officials, Rutte said, "We need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defence plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors." NATO as an organisation does not own weapons used by member states, but it does operate a fleet of 14 AWACS early warning radar planes that are about 50 years old, as well as some newer surveillance drones.

One of the announcements on Tuesday was a deal to replace the ageing AWACS aircraft. Swedish manufacturer Saab will supply up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for a 10-nation consortium, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. "It's a moment of great pride," he said, adding that the twin-engine aircraft would be "made within the alliance for all the alliance". Some of the projects will be financed through a European Union system of low-cost defence loans worth up to USD 170 billion raised on capital markets.

Representatives from 15 countries also announced a multinational effort to buy air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft from Airbus. Rutte then announced a four-country plan to buy up to five new Triton surveillance drones to add to NATO's small fleet. "It is genuinely made in NATO, and creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. However, no dollar figures were given at Tuesday's event, and the display also included some projects that had already been agreed earlier.

The announcements came weeks after Rutte tried to address US concerns about defence spending with a chart labelled "The Trump Trillion", showing USD 1.2 trillion in spending by European allies and Canada since 2017. Trump appeared unimpressed and said he remained disappointed that some NATO allies had refused to join the Iran war, which he launched alongside Israel without consulting them. "We don't need their money - we don't need anything," Trump said. "I just want loyalty." At the forum on Tuesday, US Undersecretary of Defence Michael Duffy said, "the reality is that we need production increases across the board." He added, "We will be looking to increase our exports to those who are looking to buy our equipment, and we'll also be looking to partner with the expansion of production capacity here in Europe."

The summit also brought renewed attention to possible US fighter jet sales to Turkey. Trump has suggested he could come bearing gifts for Erdogan. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told "Fox & Friends" that the US should not sell F-35 jets to Turkey, saying Erdogan "calls openly for the annihilation of Israel". Turkey and Israel have strained ties. Erdogan has frequently accused Israel of committing genocide in its war in Gaza, triggered by the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Turkey was removed from the F-35 programme in 2019 after buying Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems, but Trump has indicated ahead of his visit to Ankara that sales could resume. Netanyahu said such a move would "upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also, I think, by America's posture in the Middle East." Israel's air force relies on hundreds of US fighter jets, including F-35s, F-16s and F-15s.

Turkey tightened security in Ankara and banned protests during the summit, though a small group of demonstrators gathered in the capital on Tuesday. They were quickly surrounded by police, and a legal association said 22 students linked to the leftist Turkish Workers Party and three lawyers were detained.

The wider focus of the summit is a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO, as the Trump administration tells allies they must take greater responsibility for European security while the US turns its attention to China and the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon is promoting what it calls "NATO 3.0", under which Europe would assume more responsibility for its own defence. But higher defence spending could mean either higher taxes or cuts elsewhere. UK Defence Secretary John Healey quit last month, saying the British government was not willing to spend more despite rising threats. At the same time, concern is growing in some northern and central eastern countries that Russia could mount a hybrid attack on Europe as President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine. Keir Starmer's office said the British leader would be "focused on building a stronger and more European NATO" on what is likely to be his last foreign trip as prime minister.

As Trump joined leaders in Ankara, the summit combined major defence announcements, disputes over burden-sharing and fresh debate over weapons sales to Turkey, while NATO pushed its message that a stronger Europe is essential to the alliance's future.

With PTI Inputs

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