Donald Trump hails Erdogan and Turkey at successful 2026 NATO summit in Ankara

The 36th NATO Leaders Summit was held in Ankara, where U.S. President Donald Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "great" and described Turkey as a strong partner. Trump highlighted new trade and strategic agreements, noting that the United States would green‑light further F‑35 deliveries, lift CAATSA sanctions and provide KAAN engines to Turkey.

The summit featured productive bilateral meetings with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Syria’s Ahmad Shara and other leaders. According to the White House video, Trump called the gathering "a highly successful NATO summit" and thanked Erdogan for his role in preventing tensions with European heads of state, including Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. The event was portrayed as a turning point in U.S.–Turkey relations, emphasizing enhanced defense cooperation and broader economic ties.