U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at NATO allies on July 8 at a summit in Ankara, while signaling willingness for the sale of F35 jets to Türkiye.
With tensions peaking after an overnight flareup between U.S. and Iranian forces, Trump declared the Iran ceasefire was “over,” then took aim at NATO allies who failed to back his campaign against Tehran.
And he insisted he still wanted Greenland, calling European resistance to his stance a “big problem.”
“I’m very upset with NATO.. because of what they did with Greenland, and.. because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran,” he said.
Trump singled out Spain for particular criticism calling it a “terrible partner in NATO.”
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” he said, dragging up a bitter row that also touches on Madrid’s defense spending, urging his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut it off.”
And he raked up more sensitive territory by reiterating his desire for NATO member Denmark’s territory of Greenland.
“Greenland is a big problem for us,” he told reporters, saying it was “very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark.”
“We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States. It doesn’t help Denmark, but it helps us.”
Trump also said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could have entered the war with Iran, but did not because of him.
“He could have gone into the war because he doesn’t like Israel much, and he doesn’t like Bibi much, and he didn’t go because of me,” Trump said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.
Trump said Türkiye is a major military power with U.S. equipment and is seeking F-35 fighter jets.
“This is a military power, millions of soldiers. Türkiye is very strong,” Trump said. “They have a lot of our best equipment. They’re trying to get the F-35, but he didn’t go in.”
As he landed in Türkiye on July 7, Trump was effusive in his praise for Erdoğan, highlighting their “chemistry” in remarks that contrasted sharply with his lingering bitterness with European allies.
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 defense spending as Washington takes a step back from Europe.
On the eve of the key session, the alliance published figures showing core defense spending by Europe had risen by 11 percent in 2026 and would hit $634 billion, up from $571 billion a year earlier.
With NATO keen to focus the U.S. leader’s attention on its surging defense budgets, stalled efforts to halt the Ukraine war were also back on the agenda, with Trump saying he believed both sides wanted to end the fighting.
