08.07.2026 15:20
It was learned that US President Donald Trump did not address some controversial topics he raised before the summit during the leaders' session of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Ankara. It was stated that Trump did not repeat his criticisms of Spain's defense spending in the official meeting, nor did he bring up the ceasefire in Iran or the Greenland issue, and that the discussions focused on NATO's security policies and defense expenditures.
Significant developments took place during the leaders' session of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Ankara. During the meeting at the Presidential Complex, leaders discussed NATO's future security policies, and notably, US President Donald Trump did not address certain controversial topics, contrary to his previous statements.
THE SUMMIT'S AGENDA FOCUSED ON SECURITY AND DEFENSE
The critical leaders' session of the summit, which began on July 7 with ministerial-level working dinners and side events, was held at the Presidential Complex. In his opening speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Turkey aims to increase its defense expenditures to 3.5% of Gross Domestic Product before 2030, adding that Turkey has entered the top 10 countries in the world in the defense industry. Erdoğan also announced that an additional budget of 24 billion dollars has been allocated for the Steel Dome project.
TRUMP DID NOT REPEAT HIS CRITICISM OF SPAIN
According to a report by the British news agency Reuters, citing sources close to the matter, Trump did not target Spain during the leaders' meeting, despite previously using harsh language against the country.
In his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump criticized Spain's defense spending, stated that he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent regarding trade relations with Spain, and said, "Then they will come running after us." However, this topic was not brought up during the leaders' session.
IRAN AND GREENLAND ISSUES WERE ALSO NOT ADDRESSED
Trump's assessment of Iran, which came to the fore with his statement before the summit that "I think the ceasefire is over," was also not included in the leaders' meeting.
The US President also did not repeat his remarks about Greenland, which he had made during his meeting with Rutte. Trump had previously stated, "When Denmark was invaded by the Nazis in less than a day, they asked us to look after Greenland. We took Greenland and then stupidly gave it back. We shouldn't have given it back."
According to Reuters, Trump did not make any assessment regarding these three topics during the official NATO session attended by the leaders.