US President Donald Trump on Tuesday landed in Turkey ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said US allies have made “remarkable progress” with defense spending, a key issue for Trump, who has called on them to “step up.”
In a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the US president told reporters he would soon decide whether to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, even though Congress has banned it.
The Trump administration anticipates security in the Straits of Hormuz to be among key topics discussed by NATO leaders, according to a senior US official quoted by CNN.
The president is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara.
Trump expressed optimism over prospects for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, despite also saying that nothing has changed regarding the conflict.
The US President said he had a “very good talk” with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday, and that he also spoke to his Zelensky.
