ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will give a license for its Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas for Ukraine to counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for Ukraine which has badly needed the technology in the war now in its fifth year. <\/p>\n
Trump made the announcement as he met Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Turkey, praising him as having \u201cdone an amazing job\u201d and \u201cbeen very effective\u201d in the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll give them the right to make Patriots. We\u2019ll show them how to do it,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy has long sought more of the defense systems, which are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to manufacture. He has been pressing for Ukraine to be granted a license to manufacture the technology.<\/p>\n
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP\u2019s earlier story follows below.<\/p>\n
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at his NATO partners at a summit in Turkey on Wednesday, saying he was unhappy with the alliance for pushing back against his efforts to take control of Greenland<\/a> and for not supporting his war in Iran.<\/p>\n NATO\u2019s European members plus Canada have scrambled to meet the increased defense spending targets<\/a> Trump 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 32 NATO leaders<\/a> by insisting again that the United States should control Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory<\/a>. He blasted some European countries for refusing to participate in the Iran campaign, singling out Spain<\/a> as \u201ca terrible partner in NATO\u201d and renewing his threats<\/a> to 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 commitment to defend each other<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire: \u201cWe hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people\u2019s right for self-determination,\u201d Frederiksen said ahead of the summit. \u201cGreenland is of course not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s criticisms have in the past drawn European countries closer together<\/a> as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning trade deficit with China, and threats<\/a> from Russia. However, that unity could be tested at the summit. <\/p>\n The president\u2019s renewed interest in Greenland<\/a> could put at risk the entire future of NATO<\/a>, which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.<\/p>\n The organization is normally focused on outside threats, not threats from within. <\/p>\n NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to tamp down the president\u2019s ire by citing recent increases in defense spending from NATO allies.<\/p>\n \u201cI would argue that without you in this chair, this would not have happened,\u201d Rutte told Trump as the two met Wednesday morning. \u201cGrab the win. It\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n NATO chief backs latest US strikes on Iran<\/p>\n Ahead of the summit, Rutte praised Trump for the series of U.S. strikes on Iran<\/a> overnight, after Tehran struck three merchant ships in 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 answered Trump\u2019s criticisms of NATO members by highlighting numerous countries that are already investing more, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and Greece.<\/p>\n \u201cThe commitment is there, no doubt,\u201d Rutte said before chairing the summit, but noted the Trump administration expects \u201cthe Europeans and Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n In an attempt last month to mollify the U.S. leader, 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 Yet Trump has demanded \u201cloyalty\u201d and branded NATO a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d<\/a> after some allies refused to grant open access to their bases for U.S. forces to attack Iran.<\/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 Trump has long argued that the U.S. carries more than its fair share of the defense burden for NATO. At last year\u2019s summit, the allies agreed to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense <\/a> \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 new 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 more lean and lethal \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 However, the Pentagon has launched a six-month review of U.S. military presence<\/a> in 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 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> 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 Zelenskyy, who is expected to meet with Trump in Ankara<\/a> on Wednesday, highlighted Ukraine\u2019s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hitting Moscow\u2019s oil refineries and other energy targets. 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 northern, central and eastern European countries that Russia 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 secure victory in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n U.S. Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), one member of a congressional delegation attending the NATO summit, said at a news conference Wednesday that she hoped there would be a \u201crecommitment\u201d to Ukraine, and that the momentum on the battlefield favored Kyiv. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do everything possible to ramp up pressure on Russia to come to the table,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.\n <\/p>\n