Turkey rolled out a red-white-and-blue air show and named a new airport building after President Donald Trump, working to elevate its relationship with the U.S. at a NATO summit in Ankara, even as the American leader clashed with other members of the alliance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Trump at the airport on Tuesday and walked arm-in-arm with him. Trump later pledged to drop sanctions he himself had imposed on Turkey during his first term, six years earlier, in what had been one of the lowest points in U.S.-Turkish relations.
The warmth continued through the two-day summit, which closed Wednesday. Trump said he was willing to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets, though he later added he had not fully made up his mind. He praised Erdogan repeatedly throughout the visit, and the two leaders exchanged smiles, laughter and embraces as they communicated through translators.
Trump says he attended because of Erdogan
For many diplomats, Turkey’s biggest challenge going into the summit was simply making sure Trump would show up. He has attended every NATO summit since taking office, but has also long argued that member countries are not contributing enough to the alliance. Trump said this time he only attended because Erdogan was hosting, a comment that itself amounted to a diplomatic win for Turkey, which has sought to raise its profile within NATO while working through longstanding friction with Washington.
“It was valuable that Trump emphasised the importance he places on myself and our friendship,” Erdogan said as the summit wrapped up. “I thank my dear friend once again.”
A day after his cordial meeting with Erdogan, Trump upended the broader summit on Wednesday, demanding that the U.S. cut trade ties with Spain and repeating his claims on Greenland, a move that angered NATO ally Denmark. He later said the leaders’ meeting had been marked by “a lot of unity,” offering some reassurance to a trans-Atlantic alliance uneasy about a U.S. president who has repeatedly questioned its value.
Seated next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump also defended Erdogan against criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had warned earlier in the week against selling F-35 jets to Turkey.
U.S. signals plan to drop sanctions
At an earlier meeting in front of reporters, Trump drew a thumbs-up from Erdogan after saying he would lift U.S. sanctions tied to Turkey’s 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems. He also signaled openness to selling the F-35 jets that had been blocked under those same sanctions and related U.S. laws.
Turkey had pushed for this outcome for years while continuing to defend its decision to buy the S-400s, a purchase that had angered Washington and other NATO members and damaged trust within the alliance at the time. Trump’s pledge is still likely to run into resistance in Congress, where existing law bars sanctions relief while Turkey retains the S-400 systems. It could also complicate matters for Ankara with Moscow, given end-user obligations tied to the original purchase agreement.
The diplomatic progress, even if largely symbolic so far, comes just weeks after a U.S. court closed out a yearslong criminal case against Turkish state lender Halkbank, a case Erdogan had long described as unjust.
Western governments stay quiet on rights concerns
The warmer ties could give Erdogan, who has led Turkey for 23 years, a boost at home, where polls show his popularity being tested by a sweeping legal crackdown on the country’s main opposition party. Critics view the crackdown as a broader test of Turkey’s democratic institutions.
Asked about a wave of arrests in the run-up to the summit, including of journalists and a well-known comedian, Rutte said democracy requires more than free elections. It also depends, he said, on the right to protest and a free press.
“Never before in our history has there been a government so deeply dependent on the U.S. administration,” said Ozgur Ozel, leader of the ousted main opposition Republican People’s Party, on Tuesday.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had kept some distance from Erdogan, largely over concerns about human rights and civil liberties in Turkey. Since then, Western governments have grown quieter on those concerns as Turkey has expanded its defense manufacturing industry and positioned itself as a counterweight to Russian influence on NATO’s southeastern flank.
That military identity was on full display when Trump arrived at Turkey’s 1,100-room presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday. He was escorted by 100 horsemen and greeted by the ceremonial guard, along with guardsmen dressed as historical Ottoman soldiers, a first for the palace. As Trump and Erdogan walked together, Turkish jets flew overhead trailing red, white and blue contrails.
