Speaking at the opening of the leaders’ summit of NATO in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed his country’s commitment to the alliance while urging NATO members that are also EU members not to exclude Türkiye. The summit was an occasion to cement Türkiye's role in international affairs and, beyond that, a venue to discuss the future of the alliance shaken amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a rapidly changing U.S. view of the bloc. Defense expenditures dominated the talks, which followed a defense industry forum on Wednesday where new defense deals were unveiled.

"We took measures to reach the 5% defense spending goal by 2030,” Erdoğan said as he delved into the country’s contribution to NATO. "Türkiye has taken measures to raise the ratio of our defense spending to the 3.5% level before 2030," he added.

The president said Türkiye has already allocated 1.5% of its budget to security- and resilience-related expenditures.

He also announced that Türkiye has earmarked an additional $24 billion for its Steel Dome air and missile defense project, saying the investment is aimed at strengthening one of NATO's most critical capability gaps. Highlighting Türkiye's role within NATO, Erdoğan said the country, which has Europe's largest land army, remains ready to place its military capabilities at the alliance's disposal whenever needed. He noted that Türkiye is among the leading contributors to NATO operations, missions, and exercises in Kosovo, the Black Sea, the Baltic region, and other areas.

Erdoğan also said Türkiye hopes to secure NATO accreditation for its planned Center of Excellence for Countering Unmanned Systems, citing the country's experience in successfully deploying unmanned aerial vehicles on real battlefields. "I believe this center will bolster our capability to counter threats posed, in particular, by aerial and maritime drones," he added.

He called for the removal of restrictions on defense cooperation among NATO allies. "Restrictions between allies regarding defense cooperation, particularly in the defense industry, should be lifted," Erdoğan stated. He stressed that even as European allies assume greater responsibility for the continent's defense, they should avoid policies that could weaken NATO's unity or transatlantic ties. "As European allies take on greater responsibility for the defense of the continent, we must refrain from measures that could undermine the alliance's cohesion and transatlantic relations," he said.

Türkiye and European Union countries have been at odds for years over the former's admission to the body. Türkiye did not abandon its ambition to join the EU but has been candid on the bloc's attempts to ignore Türkiye in terms of defense projects. Most recently, Türkiye sought to join the SAFE mechanism established to boost collaboration with non-EU countries for the defense of the continent, which came under the spotlight in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although Türkiye boasts good relations with most EU states, some countries openly oppose Türkiye's inclusion in defense plans, namely Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, which have been hostile to Ankara's ambition to expand its clout across the region.

Highlighting Türkiye's growing defense sector, Erdoğan said the country's largest achievement in recent years has been its major defense industry advances. "Undoubtedly, our country's greatest success lies in the breakthrough we have achieved in the defense industry," he said, adding that Türkiye has become one of the world's top 10 countries in terms of defense production and export capacity.

Türkiye's defense industry flourished under the leadership of Erdoğan, who prioritizes defense investments both for counterterrorism efforts and against external threats. In this context, Türkiye's locally made arsenal played a key role in reducing the power of terrorist groups, especially in cross-border operations. Nowadays, Türkiye seeks a bloodless end to decades of violence perpetrated by the PKK, which agreed to lay down arms last year. Over the past two years, Türkiye, which was rocked by brutal attacks by the PKK, especially in the 1990s, has not witnessed any substantial acts of terrorism by the PKK.

With Steel Dome, Türkiye, which lies in close proximity to conflict-ridden countries, aims to strengthen its defenses through an integrated system. Erdoğan has earlier highlighted that Israel's expansionism across the region may target Türkiye too in the future if the Netanyahu administration is not pressed to stop its genocidal campaign in the Palestinian territories and attacks on other countries, including Türkiye's southern neighbor, Syria.

Trump's complaints

A few hours before Erdoğan's speech, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized NATO as he held a joint news conference with the bloc’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte.

"I am not happy with NATO over Greenland and Iran. We are treated unfairly in NATO; we pay disproportionately,” he said. Trump aimed at NATO allies who failed to back his campaign against Iran and insisted he still wanted Greenland, calling European resistance to his stance a "big problem."

"I'm very upset with NATO ... because of what they did with Greenland, and ... because of the fact that they didn't want to help us with the No.1 state sponsor of terror, that's Iran," he said. Trump singled out Spain for particular criticism, calling it a "terrible partner in NATO." "Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore," he said, dragging up a bitter row that also touches on Madrid's defense spending, urging his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut it off." And he raked up more sensitive territory by reiterating his desire for NATO member Denmark's territory of Greenland. "Greenland is a big problem for us," he told reporters, saying it was "very important for the United States, but it's not important for Denmark." "We need it for the protection of the world, not just the United States.. It doesn't help Denmark, but it helps us." Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a terse response to Trump's remarks a day earlier, saying: "Greenland is, of course, not for sale." With NATO keen to focus the U.S. leader's attention on its surging defense budgets, stalled efforts to halt the Ukraine war were also back on the agenda, with Trump saying he believed both sides wanted to end the fighting. "I think they both want to make a deal," said Trump, who will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later on Wednesday. With negotiations at an impasse, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin before flying to Türkiye and was to "follow up" with him after meeting Zelenskyy, a U.S. official said. Europe and Canada are set to pledge to keep military support flowing to Ukraine to the tune of 70 billion euros ($80 billion) a year in both 2026 and 2027. Trump was also scheduled to hold talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he seeks to rebuild the country's international image as it emerges from years of Civil War. The meeting comes a day after the Syrian leader hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for a landmark state visit that was overshadowed by twin bomb attacks that wounded 18 in the capital, Damascus. Although Trump still appears rankled over restrictions some allies put on U.S. forces using bases at the start of the Iran conflict, he brought welcome news for Erdoğan, saying he would consider selling Türkiye F-35 fighter jets and would roll back sanctions.

"I don’t want to deal (with Iranians); they’re sick people," Trump said about the war with Iran after the cease-fire between the two countries was violated overnight with U.S. strikes in Iran. Trump had nothing but good words for Türkiye, especially for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "I like President Erdoğan, he rolled out the red carpet for me. Türkiye is very strong, they’ve got the best (military) equipment," he said.

On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdoğan said: "We will continue supporting Ukraine while steering Russia toward peace.”

"While supporting Ukraine, we are also making use of our communication channels to encourage Russia toward peace," he said. The Turkish president also endorsed Trump's efforts to end the conflict. "We share Mr. Trump's vision for peace in the Ukraine war and express our support for the initiative addressing Ukraine's priority needs," Erdoğan said.

The president also commented on developments in the Middle East. "I appreciate President Trump’s stand on the resolution of the U.S.-Iran conflict,” he said. "I would also like to state that it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure calm, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon."

"The two-state solution (between Palestine and Israel) is key for lasting peace in the Middle East,” he also stated. Erdoğan also urged NATO allies to stand in "full solidarity" against terrorism.

The Turkish president also welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's "firm stance" for resolving tensions involving Iran.

"I appreciate the resolute stance supported by my friend Mr. Trump, which has helped put the resolution of the Iran crisis on the right track, despite attempts at sabotage," Erdoğan said.

Türkiye stands ready to contribute to efforts to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, he added.