\u201cWe\u2019ll give them the right to make Patriots. We\u2019ll show them how to do it,\u201d Trump said as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a NATO summit in Turkey. \u201cI think they can produce them pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patriots are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce. Zelenskyy has for years been asking for more of them, and more recently for a license so that Ukraine can manufacture its own.<\/p>\n
The tone of Trump\u2019s meeting with the Ukrainian leader was a break from earlier encounters which ended in acrimony, and Trump praised Zelenskyy\u2019s willingness to reach a deal on ending the fighting in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
He said the Ukrainian president has \u201cdone an amazing job\u201d and \u201cbeen very effective\u201d in the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve actually developed a good relationship. It\u2019s hard to believe,\u201d Trump said, adding he believed a deal on ending the war was on the horizon and that the U.S. would \u201cwork on some kind of security package\u201d to provide to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Trump takes aim at NATO partners<\/p>\n
Trump wasn\u2019t as friendly, however, with some his NATO partners, saying he was unhappy with the alliance for pushing back against his efforts to\u00a0take control of Greenland<\/a>\u00a0and for not supporting his war in Iran.<\/p>\n NATO\u2019s European members plus Canada have scrambled to meet the increased\u00a0defense spending targets<\/a>\u00a0Trump has demanded, as the U.S. draws down the number of troops it has in Europe and insists that the continent take more responsibility for its own security.<\/p>\n But Trump reopened old wounds as he arrived at the meeting of\u00a032 NATO leaders<\/a>\u00a0by insisting again that the United States should control Greenland,\u00a0a semiautonomous Danish territory<\/a>. He blasted some European countries for refusing to participate in the Iran campaign,\u00a0singling out Spain<\/a>\u00a0as \u201ca terrible partner in NATO\u201d and\u00a0renewing his threats<\/a>\u00a0to cut off trade.<\/p>\n Ahead of the summit, Trump said Greenland \u201cis very important\u201d for the U.S. but not for Denmark, declaring, \u201cWe need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n But Denmark\u2019s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country is \u201cready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory\u201d in the event of an attack, and would rely on NATO allies to honor their\u00a0commitment to defend each other<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s criticisms have in the past\u00a0drawn European countries closer together<\/a>\u00a0as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning trade deficit with China, and\u00a0threats<\/a>\u00a0from Russia.<\/p>\n The president\u2019s renewed\u00a0interest in Greenland<\/a>\u00a0could put at risk the entire future of\u00a0NATO<\/a>, which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.<\/p>\n NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to tamp down the president\u2019s ire by giving him credit for recent increases in defense spending from NATO allies.<\/p>\n \u201cGrab the win. It\u2019s there,\u201d Rutte told Trump on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Two men walk past the NATO logo during the NATO Defense Industry Forum at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hussein Malla)\n<\/p>\n Denmark\u2019s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen makes statements before the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alastair Grant, Pool)\n<\/p>\n NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, center, poses with NATO defense ministers and industry representatives during the opening of the NATO Defense Industry Forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hussein Malla)\n<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks out from his car window as he arrives for the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Metin Akta\u015f, Pool Photo via AP)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n Two men walk past the NATO logo during the NATO Defense Industry Forum at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hussein Malla)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a> Ahead of the summit, Rutte praised Trump for the\u00a0series of U.S. strikes on Iran<\/a>\u00a0overnight, after Tehran struck three merchant ships\u00a0in the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what you did last night was absolutely necessary,\u201d Rutte said to Trump. \u201cIt was a very strong response, and I\u2019m with you on this.\u201d<\/p>\n The U.S. strikes, as well as the revoking of a license allowing Iran to sell its oil on global markets, underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting.<\/p>\n Trump said of the interim agreement with Iran: \u201cFor me, I think it\u2019s over\u201d \u2014 but added he will allow talks to continue.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a waste of time dealing with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n NATO leaders sought to show Trump they were boosting defense<\/p>\n Rutte has dedicated a\u00a0huge amount of energy<\/a>\u00a0to keeping Trump\u2019s support for NATO and to holding the summit together.<\/p>\n The NATO chief pointed to countries including Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Denmark that are investing more in defense, but noted the Trump administration expects \u201cthe Europeans and Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month Rutte went to Washington to hail the \u201cTrump Trillion\u201d \u2014 the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to defense spending since Trump came to power in 2017.<\/p>\n As leaders converged on Ankara, Rutte hosted a \u201cbig reveal\u201d event to showcase the many deals planned for the increased spending \u2014 much of it to be spent on U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.<\/p>\n At last year\u2019s summit, the allies agreed to\u00a0invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on infrastructure so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.<\/p>\n Yet figures released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic have struggled to meet the alliance\u2019s old spending target of 2% of GDP.<\/p>\n The Trump administration wants to see a leaner \u201cNATO 3.0,\u201d with Europe taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, with conventional weapons while America would continue to provide its nuclear umbrella.<\/p>\n The Pentagon has launched a\u00a0six-month review of U.S. military presence<\/a>\u00a0in Europe, leaving allies to seek clarity on just how deeply Trump intends to cut U.S. force numbers.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry<\/p>\n Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal Tuesday for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost NATO\u2019s defense capabilities.<\/p>\n He\u2019s highlighted Ukraine\u2019s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia. He said Ukraine\u2019s armed forces are \u201celiminating\u201d on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.<\/p>\n Concern has been mounting among some countries with borders near Russia that Moscow might be preparing a hybrid attack \u2014 a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks \u2014 on the continent as President Vladimir Putin struggles to\u00a0secure victory in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/APTOPIX_Turkey_NATO_Summit_28_23_16952f-1.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Denmark's](\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Turkey_NATO_Summit_42552.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"NATO](\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Turkey_NATO_Summit_54722_cc9ff4.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ukraine's](\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/APTOPIX_Turkey_NATO_Summit_97791_35d93b.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n
\nNATO chief backs latest US strikes on Iran<\/p>\n