President Donald Trump is arriving at the Turkey-held NATO summit with fresh frustration toward several European allies for their responses to the U.S.-led operations against Iran, opening a new front in his long-running campaign to pressure the alliance over burden-sharing.The summit, which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey, is expected to focus on defense spending, Ukraine and NATO's long-term strategy toward Russia. But it will bring Trump face to face with some of his biggest foes in NATO, including Spain, whose Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called the U.S.war in Iran "illegal, absurd and cruel."U.S.
Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Wednesday that Trump remains "disappointed" by allies that declined to allow U.S.forces to use military bases or overflight rights during the operation, as well as by political statements criticizing the strikes.President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on July 14, 2025, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)WHY NATO'S DEFENSE SPENDING IMBALANCE LASTED FOR DECADES"The president has expressed disappointment in both a couple of our allies' unwillingness to support us using our bases in their countries," Whitaker said.
"And, as importantly, he's also incredibly disappointed in the political statements that came out around the time of the launch of Epic Fury." The disagreements are expected to loom over a summit where Trump will once again press allies to increase defense spending, while also raising broader questions about whether NATO members are prepared to back the United States during conflicts beyond the alliance's traditional focus on Europe.Trump's frustration has been evident publicly as well. Ahead of the summit, he said he was attending largely because of his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while again criticizing some NATO allies over defense spending and questioning their commitment to the alli...