Turkey: NATO Should Redefine its Relationship with Trump
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country believes Donald Trump will attend the NATO leaders summit due to his personal relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as he appears unlikely to attend otherwise.
Trump has long criticized NATO and last week threatened to withdraw the United States from the alliance due to European countries’ refusal to send ships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz near Iran. This has added to previous tensions within the coalition over Trump’s prior plans to buy Greenland.
Fidan said member countries have long been aware of Trump’s criticisms, but are now planning for the possibility of a reduced U.S. role and increasing their own defense capabilities.
He added that NATO countries should turn this Ankara summit into an opportunity to regularize relations with the United States on a systematic basis. “If the United States were to withdraw from certain NATO mechanisms, there should be a plan and a phased approach to this withdrawal so that no country is left without support.”
