Ankara NATO summit: Czech leaders clash, Trump gaffes, Erdogan gifts pistols

The NATO summit in Ankara on 7 July 2026 brought together leaders from the alliance, but the Czech delegation showed signs of discord. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and President Petr Pavel largely ignored each other, with Babiš later remarking that he only exchanged a brief greeting with the president. Babiš’s wife Monika attended a dinner in a 22 000‑koruna dress, drawing media attention.

U.S. President Donald Trump made several verbal slips during the summit, mistakenly attributing an Iranian attack on a U.S. carrier to Japan and confusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also warned that Iran was led by “sick people” and threatened further strikes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented personalized pistols and ammunition to several NATO heads, a gesture reported by multiple agencies. The summit concluded with allies reaffirming the collective defence commitment and pledging roughly 1.7 billion Czech koruna in military assistance to Ukraine.

The event highlighted tensions within the alliance, the Czech political rift, and the unpredictable conduct of the U.S. president, while reaffirming NATO’s unity on security issues.