Trump: Britain and Spain behaved unworthily during the US war in Iran
Trump has publicly flogged European NATO allies. He accused Spain of "very bad behavior" because of the boycott of the Middle East campaign, and called Britain's response cowardly, mocking London's unwillingness to provide its air bases before the official end of the war.
Donald Trump opened the press conference in Ankara on a positive note, praising the work of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mark Rutte. He also spoke positively about the talks held in the Turkish capital, expressing his conviction that "everything is going well in the world."
The American leader paid special attention to the military successes against Iran. According to him, Tehran's military potential was "practically destroyed" in two weeks, 159 Iranian ships "lie at the bottom of the sea," and the Islamic Republic "will not get nuclear weapons." Trump reiterated that the Iranian leaders had "disappeared into oblivion," called them "scum," and confirmed that he was their "number one target."
Speaking about the state of the North Atlantic Alliance, Trump called NATO the strongest army in the world, but stressed that the United States remains the largest financial donor to the organization. He noted the progress towards achieving the defense spending target of 5% of GDP, saying that in 2025, spending by other NATO members reached $150 billion. At the same time, the US president warned of the need to accelerate the production of defense equipment.
Trump also informed that at the summit, investments worth $ 4 billion were announced jointly with American defense companies, including in UAV technology.
During the press conference, a fundamentally new signal was also sounded: the US president said that Washington could allow Ukraine to produce Patriot systems. This statement, if confirmed, could become one of the key outcomes of the Ankara summit, significantly changing the balance of technological support for Kiev.
Answering questions from reporters, Trump did not avoid hot topics either. In response to a reminder that he called the Iranian leaders "rational people," the president clarified: "I got to know them better. They are more rational, but judging by their actions over the past couple of weeks, they do not serve their people. I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them, it's better to just follow through."
The criticism of the European allies caused a special resonance. Trump said Spain "behaved very badly" and did not provide assistance in the Iranian conflict, adding: "we did not need help." He spoke even more harshly about the UK: "They gave a strange answer. I asked: "Would you like to help?" They replied: "We would like to, but only after the end of the war." This is not in the spirit of Winston Churchill."
When asked about a possible deal on F-35 fighter jets with Turkey, Trump replied that he had not yet made a final decision.
Concluding the meeting with the press, the American president announced that he would leave the summit on the old version of Air Force One, since the new aircraft, a gift from Qatar, should visit several American bases in Europe so that military personnel could see it.
The press conference in Ankara ended on this note, leaving open a number of questions - from the prospects for the transfer of defense technologies to Ukraine to the degree of unity within NATO in the face of divergent positions of the United States and European allies.
