On Tuesday, at the NATO summit held in Ankara, Turkey, Trump publicly criticized his allies, reigniting his long-standing grievances about what he perceives as NATO’s unfair treatment of the United States, dampening expectations for a show of unity at the summit. Despite efforts by European leaders to avoid confrontation with Trump, he criticized NATO for refusing to assist the U.S. and Israel in a potential war against Iran, reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland, and launched a fierce critique of Europe’s immigration and energy policies. Speaking alongside Turkish President Erdogan, Trump said he was “very disappointed” with NATO and again accused member states of failing to acknowledge the long-term defense costs borne by the United States. Defense spending remained a central issue hovering over the summit. A senior NATO official noted that European NATO members and Canada are projected to spend an average of 2.31% of their GDP on core defense in 2025, rising to 2.53% this year. The pre-summit NATO Defense Industry Forum also facilitated at least $50 billion in new procurement agreements, with the exact total still being tallied.

However, Trump adopted a markedly different tone toward the host nation, Turkey. He praised Turkey and Erdogan, hinting at a possible imminent approval for Ankara to re-purchase advanced U.S. stealth fighters. Trump maintains close ties with Erdogan, and his positive signals toward Turkey at the opening stage of the summit stood in stark contrast to his tough criticism of other NATO allies, underscoring the ongoing divisions within the alliance regarding unity, policy toward Iran, and U.S.-European relations. During the same summit, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also proposed upgrading Korea’s defense cooperation with NATO to a “Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0” through the Defense Industry Forum, expanding collaboration beyond arms trade to joint research, production, and weapon system utilization. He stated that combining South Korea’s stable production capabilities and proven technological expertise with NATO’s long-standing experience would significantly enhance both sides’ defense capacities. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the pledged and committed defense funding from member states, while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy continued calling for additional military equipment to counter the ongoing war with Russia.

In parallel, U.S. lawmakers from both major political parties plan to pressure Brian Benczkowski during the NATO summit to push forward a long-stalled sanctions bill targeting Russia. Although widely supported across party lines, the legislation has been stalled due to opposition from the White House, which seeks to weaken certain provisions to preserve greater flexibility for the president in future peace negotiations with Moscow over Ukraine. Lawmakers will urge Benczkowski not to extend the exemption on Russian oil sanctions. Previously, after the outbreak of conflict with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Treasury issued three consecutive 30-day exemptions on Russian oil sanctions to alleviate global energy supply tensions; the most recent exemption expired in June.

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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870110512427017/

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