President Donald Trump has touched down in Ankara, Turkey, for a NATO summit, a gathering that has been marked by the announcement of several billion-dollar arms deals.
On Tuesday, Trump was greeted by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on landing, before attending an official leaders' dinner and the main session of the summit.
The two-day summit in Ankara is expected to see allies pledge a largely symbolic €70 billion ($80.06 billion) in military aid to Ukraine over this year and next, largely formalizing existing commitments despite Ukraine having no current path to joining NATO.
NATO Unveils Major Arms Deals
On Monday, NATO leaders disclosed arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Turkey. This move is perceived as a response to U.S. calls for increased defense spending in Europe. At a defense industry forum in Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced several initiatives and called for a "revolution" in the defense industry, pointing to the massive military spending of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.
Among the deals unveiled were European countries purchasing surveillance drones from Northrop Grumman (Northrop Grumman (NOC)), NATO buying planes from Sweden's Saab, and a draft deal between Lockheed Martin (Lockheed Martin (LMT)) and Germany's Rheinmetall (Rheinmetall (RNMBY)) to produce ATACMS missiles in Germany.
Rutte stated that NATO allies will invest over $40 billion in their anti-drone capabilities in the next five years.
The NATO summit and the unveiling of these massive arms deals come at a time when the U.S. has been pushing for increased defense spending in Europe. The deals, which include purchases from major defense companies like Northrop Grumman, Saab, and Lockheed Martin, signify a significant boost in defense spending.
On Friday, Trump shared a graphic on Truth Social comparing NATO members' defense budgets, highlighting the U.S.'s $999 billion military spending against significantly lower spending by European allies such as the UK and France.
"Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal," wrote Trump.
Trump Weighs F-35 Return for Turkey
According to the New York Times, Trump is expected to tell Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the NATO summit in Turkey that he is willing to restore Turkey's access to Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet program, potentially reversing the ban he imposed seven years ago, though the move could face opposition in Congress.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring Russia's S-400 air defense system, with U.S. officials arguing the purchase could compromise the stealth fighter's sensitive technology.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel opposes Turkey receiving F-35 Lightning II jets or fighter jet engines, and reportedly urged Trump not to approve such a move during a recent phone call, reported Axios on Monday.
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