ANKARA: In an effort to appease US President Donald Trump following his outrage over Europe’s response to the war with Iran, NATO allies will highlight rising defense spending at a meeting in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on Tuesday.
The two-day meeting at Turkiye’s expansive presidential palace takes place a year after NATO countries, under pressure from the US leader, promised to increase security-related spending to five percent of GDP. Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, maintains that European nations are “delivering” on their pledge by increasing military spending and stepping up to assume greater responsibility for the protection of their continent against Russia.
On the eve of the conference, Rutte told reporters in Ankara, “Just one year later, we already see transformational progress.” Late on Monday, Trump left Washington for the important summit, accompanied by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NATO has arranged a number of attention-grabbing figures in an attempt to win over the US leader. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior European diplomat declared, “This is showtime.
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