US President Donald Trump once more expressed his disappointment with NATO allies on Tuesday as he arrived in Ankara for a NATO summit, reiterating also that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”.
“I was very disappointed with NATO,” Trump said, sitting next to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace after being greeted personally by Erdogan on the tarmac as he descended from Air Force One. The two had then been escorted through the empty streets of the Turkish capital by a guard of riders on white horses.
“Frankly, if it (the summit) weren’t held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended.”
NATO officials are hoping Trump’s strong relationship with the Turkish leader could help smooth over the bad blood caused by the Iran war.
European leaders are aiming to avoid a bust-up with the mercurial US leader that could deal a further blow to NATO’s credibility, after Trump repeatedly cast doubt on Washington’s commitment to protecting its allies.
But ahead of their main session on Wednesday, the US president was clearly still smarting over the restrictions some allies placed on US forces using bases at the start of the Iran conflict.
“I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there, because I’ve long said that we helped them,” he said.
“Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down.”
Trump also risked reopening another old wound with NATO when he reiterated his stance that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”.
In a bid to prove to Trump that they are making good on a pledge last year to ramp up defence spending, NATO allies unveiled tens of billions in arms deals ahead of his arrival.
NATO chief Mark Rutte has insisted European countries are “delivering” by bolstering military budgets and moving to take more responsibility for the defence of their continent in the face of Russia.
“These are billions that are invested in our security, boosting our economies and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs,” Rutte said at a glitzy industry forum.
*Published first on Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
