Donald Trump Heads to NATO Summit in Turkey Amid Alliance Tensions

US President Donald Trump on Monday (US time) departed Joint Base Andrews and boarded Air Force One to attend the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey.

The high-profile gathering, scheduled for July 7-8, comes amid ongoing tensions within the alliance regarding defence spending, burden-sharing, and the US role in European security.

White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that Trump will also hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Summit.

"President Trump will depart the White House on Monday evening. He will arrive in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon, where he will be greeted by President Erdogan of Turkey. He will participate in a State Arrival Ceremony and Honor Guard review before moving into a bilateral meeting with President Erdogan," the statement read.

"That evening, the President will participate in a NATO Leaders' Social Dinner. On Wednesday, President Trump will participate in an official welcome and family photo, followed by a NATO Leaders' working session,” it added.

“That afternoon, President Trump will participate in bilateral meetings with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic. Finally, the President will hold a press conference before departing from Ankara. He will arrive back at the White House on Wednesday evening," the statement said.

Why is Donald Trump attending the NATO Summit in Turkey despite calling NATO a ‘paper tiger’?

For years, many other NATO allies eyed Turkey with suspicion for buying a Russian air defence system, attacking Western-backed Kurdish forces in Syria and stalling Sweden's bid to join the alliance, the Washington Post reported.

But now, as Trump has flipped the perspective by calling NATO as 'paper tiger' and saying he's only attending this year's summit for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye. It is the latest sign of rocky relations between Trump and his European 'allies'.

"Ankara's international visibility will increase more than ever before, and our capital will make a name for itself as a centre of global diplomacy," Erdogan told a recent meeting of his AK Party, Washington Post quoted.

Trump has endorsed Erdogan in recent weeks, calling him "a friend of mine" and a "hell of a leader."

"If not for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don't think I would've gone to it," Trump told reporters at the White House last week, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sat next to him, as per The Washington Post.

(With inputs from ANI)