NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its firepower as Trump again demands Greenland

Separately, Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system that led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program — in a nod to his warm ties with Erdogan, the summit’s host.

Trump cites Erdogan ‘chemistry’ as he lifts one obstacle on F-35s

Turkey was barred from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after it purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. That unfurled years of tensions between the U.S. and Turkey, despite the warm personal relationship between Trump and Erdogan dating back to the U.S. president’s first term.

There are still a number of legal hurdles before Turkey could be fully admitted back to the U.S. F-35 program, but the removal of sanctions issued under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act would help ease that process. Regaining access to the F-35s is a top goal of Erdogan, and Trump has hinted for some time that that will eventually happen.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?” Trump said in response to a question as he sat alongside Erdogan, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were working on the issue.

Trump said the possibility of selling F-35s to Turkey is “something certainly we’d consider,” given the U.S.’s relationship with Turkey and that “Turkey’s been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal.” For his part, Erdogan expressed hope that the U.S. will sell F-35 planes to Turkey, saying the U.S. president always stands by his word.

Trump and Erdogan repeatedly showed off their fondness for each other after Air Force One touched down in Ankara. Erdogan greeted the U.S. president with an elaborate welcome ceremony involving cannons, military officials on horseback and jets flying overhead emitting red, white and blue smoke.

Asked about what makes their relationship so strong, Trump said there’s “a chemistry that works between us.”

“Sometimes you get along with the toughest people, like him,” Trump said, gesturing to Erdogan.

Turkey’s access to any of the U.S. F-35s could complicate relationships elsewhere. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the Trump administration not to sell the fighter jets to Turkey, saying Erdogan “calls openly for the annihilation of Israel,” and there is deep opposition among U.S. lawmakers to Turkey having the F-35s as long as the Russian missile defense system remains in its possession.

Even if sanctions are no longer an issue, the Trump administration still faces restrictions under U.S. law that prevents Turkey from being able to purchase the fighter jets if it still owns the S-400s.

NATO has ‘moment of great pride’ on defense

Earlier in the day, NATO showcased a series of military projects worth billions of dollars — an investment Rutte called “money well spent” and that was clearly meant to try to satisfy Trump.

An energized Rutte was speaking to government ministers and defense industry officials at a forum billed as NATO’s “big reveal,” to the thrum of techno music and a slick video display.

NATO as an organization does not own any weapons — these are the property of the 32 member countries — but it does have a fleet of 14 AWACS early warning radar surveillance planes that are about 50 years old, along with some newer surveillance drones.

A deal to replace the aging planes was announced Tuesday. Swedish manufacturer Saab will be supplying up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for a 10-nation consortium, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced.

“It’s a moment of great pride,” he said, noting that the twin-engine aircraft would be “made within the alliance for all the alliance.”

Some of the projects will be paid for with funds from a system of cheap loans for defense purposes set up by the European Union, comprising up to $170 billion raised on capital markets.

“We need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defense plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors,” Rutte said.

Representatives from 15 nations shook hands and patted shoulders on a vast podium under the NATO logo as they announced a multinational effort to buy air-to-air refueling and transport planes from Airbus. Then Rutte announced a four-country effort to purchase as many as five new Triton surveillance drones to add to NATO’s small fleet.

Rutte told reporters on the eve of the military alliance’s two-day summit in Turkey that “we will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend.”

However, at Tuesday’s event, no dollar figures were given and the display included some projects long since agreed.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry

Separately on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal for his country to be allowed to join the alliance, saying its armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost the alliance’s defense capabilities.

He highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit oil refineries and other energy targets. He said that Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on average 30,000 Russian troops every month. He is slated to meet with Trump on Wednesday in Ankara.

“Frankly we take no pride in this,” Zelenskyy said, noting that the war with Russia — now in its fifth year — is “a war we did not seek but one we are forced to fight.”

Concern is mounting among some northern and central eastern countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack — a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks — on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.

Yet a senior NATO official, speaking on the sidelines of the summit, said Tuesday that despite some “reckless” actions by Russia, including airspace violations over Poland, Romania and Estonia, the alliance has been successful in deterring Russia from any potential attack on a member country. The official insisted on anonymity to brief reporters.

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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Andy Wilks in Istanbul and Michelle L. Price and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

Seung Min Kim, Lorne Cook, Suzan Fraser, And Abby Sewell, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its firepower as Trump again demands Greenland

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