Trump lauds Erdogan as 'great leader,' hails Ankara summit

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "a great leader" and long-time friend while declaring the conclusion of a "very successful" NATO summit in Ankara. "We just concluded a very successful NATO summit here in Türkiye," Trump said at a news conference in the Turkish capital. "I want to thank President Erdogan, who's really a great man. He's a great leader. He's a friend of mine, been a friend of mine for a long time," he added, describing his counterpart as a strong personality who runs a successful country.

Defense spending commitments

Trump noted that the summit addressed the alliance's target of spending 5% of GDP on defense, a benchmark agreed upon at last year's NATO summit in The Hague when allies raised the annual spending goal from 2% to 5%. Defense spending by other NATO members surged by almost $150 billion in 2025 as a result of that commitment, he said, adding that "some have truly answered the call, and others are making big changes." Regarding specific members, Trump characterized Spain as being "very bad" on meeting targets while noting that Italy and most other nations have been "good" despite facing a "bad moment" during the Iran war.

Iran war and deterrence

Addressing the ongoing conflict with Iran, Trump defended his handling of the war as a "tremendous military success" and emphasized that Tehran would not acquire nuclear weapons. "Space Force" cameras are monitoring nuclear sites with extreme precision, he noted, adding that Washington is watching to ensure no one attempts to retrieve remaining material, which the US would eventually "take" to ensure neutralization. Responding to recent Iranian attacks on US vessels, Trump issued a stern warning that such violations would be met with overwhelming force, stating: "When they hit, we hit 10 times with a lot better equipment than they do."

The Ankara gathering convened leaders from all 32 NATO members alongside key partners to discuss Europe's defense capacity and continued support for Ukraine. The summit concluded as the Iran war continues to test regional stability, with Trump insisting that any renewed hostilities would be "over very quickly" and that "none of these can start again."