{"id":921059,"date":"2026-07-08T14:49:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/921059\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:49:15","slug":"the-latest-trump-says-us-will-allow-patriot-air-defense-systems-to-be-made-for-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/921059\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: Trump says US will allow Patriot air defense systems to be made for Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks as she arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Denmark&#8217;s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks as she arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Emrah Gurel\/AP Photo\/Emrah Gurel<img alt=\"Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever, right, speaks as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Belgium&#8217;s Prime Minister Bart De Wever, right, speaks as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Emrah Gurel\/AP Photo\/Emrah Gurel<img alt=\"Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks with the media as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks with the media as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Emrah Gurel\/AP Photo\/Emrah Gurel<img alt=\"Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to reporters upon arrival for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Britain&#8217;s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to reporters upon arrival for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Alastair Grant\/Alastair Grant\/Pool AP via AP<img alt=\"Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir speaks as she arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Iceland&#8217;s Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir speaks as she arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Emrah Gurel\/AP Photo\/Emrah Gurel<\/p>\n<p>U.S. 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<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Trump made the announcement as he met 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<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the summit a day after Trump again expressed a desire for the U.S. to control Greenland, Denmark\u2019s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, \u201cGreenland is of course not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump says oil prices rise when the US attacks Iran<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. president said oil prices were rising Wednesday after military attacks intensified with Iran in a troubling sign for peace talks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny time we hit them, it goes up a little bit \u2014 $2,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cAs oil goes, so goes everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The president has taken conflicting stances on the energy price bump caused by the Iran war, saying it wasn\u2019t a consideration for ending the war and then touting price declines after an interim deal was announced in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>But Trump\u2019s math was somewhat off. U.S. oil futures were trading Wednesday morning at roughly $75 a barrel, an increase of about $5.<\/p>\n<p>Trump suggests he\u2019ll remove Syria from terrorism list<\/p>\n<p>During his sit-down with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Trump was asked if he would remove Syria from the State Department\u2019s state sponsors of terrorism list, which brings a range of sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I will, yeah. Why wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d Trump said. \u201cHe\u2019s done a great job,\u201d Trump added, referring to al-Sharaa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Trump spoke warmly about al-Sharaa, calling him a strong and respected leader who brought together a country that was \u201ca real mess, very disjointed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Syria has been on the list since 1979. Some U.S. lawmakers have called for removing Syria from the list, citing improvements after the 2024 ouster of Bashar Assad.<\/p>\n<p>Spain\u2019s leader downplays Trump\u2019s threats and calls relationship with US \u2018very positive\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Asked about Trump\u2019s renewed trade threats, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the bilateral relationship with the U.S. \u201cpositive\u201d and said Spain had fulfilled its defense spending obligations for 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>S\u00e1nchez added that he and Trump briefly spoke at the summit in Turkey and shared \u201cnothing but kind words and friendliness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe spoke about football, about the World Cup in the United States,\u201d S\u00e1nchez told reporters. \u201cIt was an informal chat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish leader downplayed Trump\u2019s threats to cut off trade with Spain, saying his government had taken the comments with \u201ca certain normalcy,\u201d reiterating that the European Union handles trade policy on behalf of the bloc\u2019s 27 member states, including Spain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen one looks beyond these statements, what becomes apparent is that the relationship between the United States and Spain \u2014 across social, cultural, economic and political spheres \u2014 is very, very positive,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Spanish minister says Spain \u2018accepts neither blackmail nor threats\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Health Minister M\u00f3nica Garc\u00eda was the first Spanish government official to comment publicly in response to Trump\u2019s renewed trade threats against Spain over its defense spending.<\/p>\n<p>On X, Garc\u00eda wrote: \u201cTrump calls Spain a \u2018terrible partner\u2019 because it accepts neither blackmail nor threats. Because we are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace. What is terrible is to confuse diplomacy with bullying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump wants Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but says it probably won\u2019t be in Moscow<\/p>\n<p>Asked about his efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said he\u2019d like to see the leaders of both countries sit down together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Trump said he\u2019s talked about it with Putin, who he said was open to a meeting but wanted to host in Moscow. Trump said he rejected the idea on behalf of Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n<p>Sitting across from Zelenskyy, Trump asked directly if he would meet in Moscow. The Ukrainian president answered with a quip.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s difficult, there are a lot of Ukrainian drones there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has not only warmed to Zelenskyy but also Ukraine\u2019s drone technology<\/p>\n<p>As Trump was heaping praise on Zelenskyy and his country\u2019s efforts in the war with Russia, he commended Ukraine\u2019s use of drones to counter attacks and suggested the U.S. might buy the technology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a shift for Trump, who had previously been dismissive of Ukraine\u2019s use of the low-cost but effective unmanned aircraft in the war and suggested the U.S. technology and tactics were superior.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. makes great drones, but it might buy from Ukraine because \u201cthey have an ability to make a lot of them\u201d and called it \u201camazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing ability, very cheap,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re very talented people,\u201d he said to Zelenskyy. \u201cSo uh, yeah, I think we\u2019re going to make that deal. You know, if we made that deal, we\u2019d have great protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Macron says Iran was \u2018wrong\u2019 to launch strikes<\/p>\n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran was \u201cwrong\u201d to carry out the strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz that prompted a U.S. response, saying they violated the agreement Tehran had signed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe the Iranians were entirely in the wrong to carry out those strikes, which are contrary to the agreement they themselves signed,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the status of the ceasefire, Macron said the parties remain within the 60-day negotiation period established under the U.S.-Iran deal signed in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Macron said his understanding is that the meetings scheduled under that framework will continue to take place.<\/p>\n<p>Trump threatens to strike Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure<\/p>\n<p>President Trump threatened Wednesday to strike Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure and to seize Kharg Island, with its oil infrastructure, as his ceasefire with Tehran appeared to be in tatters.<\/p>\n<p>Trump made the threats after announcing that the U.S. was preparing for a second night of strikes against Iran after Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>If the U.S. has to, Trump said, it will take out Iran\u2019s electric plants and desalinization plants. He said Tuesday\u2019s strikes included attacks on Kharg Island but not its oil facilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There\u2019s not a thing they could do about it,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte refuses to define NATO\u2019s role in the Iran war<\/p>\n<p>Rutte refused to say Wednesday whether NATO might play a role in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously Iran is outside NATO territory,\u201d Rutte said, but he added: \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that NATO could never get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that \u201cif helpful, NATO is always willing to play a role. But first now, let\u2019s see what happens over the coming days and weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NATO prides itself as a defensive alliance focused on protecting the transatlantic area. Its last venture outside, into Afghanistan, ended in chaos and allies are reluctant to get drawn into any other war.<\/p>\n<p>Britain and France are leading a separate international effort to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open once the fighting stops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Kremlin warns Baltic nations will erode their own security if they host NATO\u2019s nuclear weapons<\/p>\n<p>Asked about Lithuanian lawmakers considering a measure that would remove a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Baltic nation following a similar move by Finland, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Russia will have to take relevant steps to protect itself if any nuclear weapons are deployed to Baltic countries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContrary to the expectations of the countries making such decisions, it will not strengthen their security,\u201d Peskov said in a call with reporters. \u201cOn the contrary, it will significantly increase the level of danger they face, because countermeasures will be taken in relation to them to ensure protection of our interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the Finnish Parliament voted to repeal a decades-old law that banned nuclear weapons from the country. The vote followed Helsinki\u2019s 2023 decision to join NATO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says NATO welcomes Trump\u2019s leadership<\/p>\n<p>Rutte says NATO allies have \u201cwarmly welcomed\u201d Trump\u2019s leadership, even after the American president reopened old wounds over Greenland.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte said Trump\u2019s leadership \u201cis transforming this alliance and making it stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe message from this summit is simple. NATO delivers,\u201d Rutte said after chairing the summit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>In a win for Ukraine, Trump says US will allow Patriot air defense missiles to be made overseas<\/p>\n<p>President 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 that\u2019s now in its fifth year.<\/p>\n<p>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<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll give them the right to make Patriots. We\u2019ll show them how to do it,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy has long sought more of the defense systems, which are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to manufacture. He\u2019s been pressing for Ukraine to be granted a license to manufacture the technology.<\/p>\n<p>Trump says US is preparing for more strikes against Iran<\/p>\n<p>The president said Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing for another night of strikes against Iran, just hours after he said the ceasefire was over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hit them very hard last night,\u201d Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. \u201cWe\u2019ll probably hit them hard again tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Trump made the remark in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit. He said the strikes are continued retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are behaving very badly,\u201d he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has warm remarks in meeting with Zelenskyy<\/p>\n<p>Though the U.S. president and his Ukrainian counterpart had a tense encounter at the White House last year, Trump said Wednesday as he sat with Zelenskyy, \u201cWe\u2019ve actually developed a good relationship. It\u2019s hard to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>He said Ukraine has a good future with \u201csuch great land, such great assets, such great people\u201d and that they were going to have a good talk together.<\/p>\n<p>He also called Russian President Vladimir Putin a \u201cdifficult character\u201d and Zelenskyy \u201ca difficult character.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Details of the next NATO summit are up in the air<\/p>\n<p>Albania has been left wondering about whether it will host NATO\u2019s next summit and when.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The Balkans country had been due to host one in 2027. But instead of referencing that rendezvous on their end-of-summit declaration as they usually do, the NATO leaders on Wednesday only said \u201cwe look forward to our next meeting\u201d without providing details.<\/p>\n<p>Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is generally well liked by his fellow leaders, but some NATO allies have cooled on the idea of holding a summit in Albania given his country\u2019s low rate of defense spending.<\/p>\n<p>Other allies are reluctant to hold another meeting at the mercy of Trump and are considering moving away from annual summits.<\/p>\n<p>NATO leaders also pledged more money for Ukraine\u2019s defense<\/p>\n<p>NATO leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with $80 billion to help meet its defense needs this year and next, noting \u201cthe long-term threat Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>They also underlined that \u201cIran must never have a nuclear weapon\u201d and called on Tehran \u201cto fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NATO leaders reaffirm commitment to Article 5<\/p>\n<p>NATO leaders reaffirmed their commitment to protect each other should any of them come under attack and said they\u2019re working to make the alliance stronger by giving Europe more responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>In a declaration after their summit in Ankara, the leaders said their resolve to defend each other under Article 5 of NATO\u2019s treaty is \u201cironclad\u201d and added \u201can attack on one is an attack on all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are building the future: A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,\u201d Trump and his counterparts wrote in the declaration.<\/p>\n<p>The declaration comes after President Trump\u2019s comments about a U.S. takeover of Greenland have rattled the military alliance.<\/p>\n<p>US markets retreat, oil prices jump more than 5% after Trump says ceasefire with Iran is \u2018over\u2019<\/p>\n<p>U.S. stock futures slid lower and oil prices surged more than 5% after President Trump said Wednesday that the interim agreement with Iran is over, though he\u2019ll allow talks to continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Futures for the S&amp;P 500 were down 0.7% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1%. Nasdaq futures were off 1.1%.<\/p>\n<p>Trump made the comments following U.S. strikes on Iran that were a retaliation for attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped $3.94 to $78.10 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude surged $3.60 to $74.04 a barrel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, I think it\u2019s over,\u201d Trump responded when asked about the status of the ceasefire. \u201cIt\u2019s just a waste of time dealing with them,\u201d he said on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Trump scheduled to host Lebanese president at White House<\/p>\n<p>Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to visit Trump on July 21, a White House official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly announce it.<\/p>\n<p>A statement from the Lebanese embassy in Washington said the leaders will discuss regional security and other topics of mutual interest.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. helped broker a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, and the issue has been a continued factor in negotiations toward the end of the war in Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Lebanon likely to loom large in Trump-Sharaa meeting<\/p>\n<p>Damascus and Washington have been tight-lipped about the agenda of Wednesday\u2019s planned meeting between Trump and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, but it\u2019s likely that they will discuss Syria\u2019s role in neighboring Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Despite having once been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump\u2019s good graces, and Syria under him has restored long-shattered ties with the west.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has several times publicly proposed that Syria should supplant Israel in combating the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Al-Sharaa has said that he has no desire to intervene militarily in Lebanon. Syria remained on the sidelines of the regional war that erupted after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Trump and al-Sharaa will also likely discuss Syria\u2019s relations with Israel, which is currently occupying a strip of southern Syria, while negotiations for a security agreement between the two countries have stalled.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s barbs are helping to draw Europe closer together<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s attacks on Italy\u2019s premier last month had an unintended consequence.<\/p>\n<p>After Trump questioned Italy\u2019s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to Meloni\u2019s side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her hard-right political roots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>It was the latest example of how the often divisive American president is helping to draw Europe closer together.<\/p>\n<p>This newfound European unity is already being tested in Turkey as Trump renews his attacks against NATO allies and claims that the U.S. should take over Greenland.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey reveals its new military HQ<\/p>\n<p>Turkey unveiled its new \u201cCrescent and Star\u201d military headquarters in Ankara to NATO defence ministers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new headquarters complex will be fully operational soon and it will take its place among the largest military headquarters in the world,\u201d Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told his counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>The design of the building, which is still under construction, replicates the image on Turkey\u2019s flag when viewed from above.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing more than just a modern headquarters facility, it stands as a physical symbol of Turkey\u2019s consolidated, agile and forward-looking defense posture,\u201d Guler added.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders meet behind closed doors for summit\u2019s central discussion<\/p>\n<p>The heads of NATO member countries gathered for a meeting that was originally scheduled to last three hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The meeting began with remarks from Erdogan and Rutte, with Trump seated to their right.<\/p>\n<p>After the session, Trump is scheduled to have one-on-one meetings with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.<\/p>\n<p>Spain says relationship with US is \u2018excellent\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In response to Trump\u2019s comments, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez\u2019s office said that Spain \u201cmaintains an excellent social, cultural, and economic relationship with the US, and we have no intention of seeing that change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson said the Spanish government regarded such statements \u201cas a matter of routine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson referenced the U.S.\u2019 trade surplus with Spain, and the fact that the European Union handles trade for the bloc\u2019s 27 member countries.<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan offers to assist Hormuz demining efforts<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan says his country is prepared to contribute to demining efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The Turkish president made the remarks in a speech marking the opening of the summit he is hosting.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Erdogan was seen in a huddle with Trump, joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin.<\/p>\n<p>Syrian president arrives in Ankara<\/p>\n<p>As NATO member countries commenced their meeting in Ankara Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in the Turkish capital, Syrian state television reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>It said al-Sharaa will \u201chold numerous meetings with world leaders\u201d in addition to his scheduled bilateral meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit.<\/p>\n<p>Oil prices surge nearly 6%<\/p>\n<p>The price of Brent crude oil jumped 5.7% to more than $78 a barrel after Trump\u2019s comments on the ceasefire with Iran on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. benchmark crude surged 5.8% to $74.55 a barrel. Crude prices had declined recently from spikes well above $100 a barrel to around the levels they were at before the war with Iran began in late February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>NATO chief looks to defuse Greenland tensions<\/p>\n<p>Speaking alongside Trump on the sidelines of the summit, Rutte reassured Trump that their earlier security framework involving Greenland is still in place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou and I made a deal in Davos,\u201d Rutte said. \u201cI will make sure that that deal is step-by-step being implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump earlier this year said he reached a deal with Rutte on Arctic security. It came as Trump was threatening tariffs against European countries in his push for U.S. control of Greenland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The deal included assurances on the U.S.\u2019s Golden Dome missile defense program, a $175 billion effort to put U.S. weapons in space.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte tells Trump to \u2018grab the win\u2019<\/p>\n<p>As Trump ticked off his litany of complaints about NATO &#8211; from defense spending to Greenland to Iran &#8211; it was again up to the alliance\u2019s secretary general to try and soothe him.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte responded with all the developments in defense spending from NATO allies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\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<p>Rutte also pointed out to Trump, as he as done previously, that the countries that were unhelpful in Trump\u2019s view on Iran were \u201cisolated cases.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Denmark&#8217;s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks as she arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":921060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5133],"tags":[36305,5229,13224,371843,69,236507,8703,37440,8298,104044,191645,83,62317,138541,371842,184754,184755,8960,184750,184752,325469,324520,7202,7203,358,371841,3187,273,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,274,3656],"class_list":["post-921059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-ahmad-al-sharaa","tag-america","tag-bashar-assad","tag-dmitri-peskov","tag-donald-trump","tag-edi-rama","tag-emmanuel-macron","tag-giorgia-meloni","tag-greenland","tag-hakan-fidan","tag-ibrahim-kalin","tag-iran","tag-joseph-aoun","tag-mette-frederiksen","tag-monica-garcia","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-pedro-sanchez","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","tag-product-32520-ap-online-other-u-s-government-news","tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","tag-san-antonio","tag-sanantonio","tag-texas","tag-trump-nato-security-summit-turkey-rutte","tag-tx","tag-ukraine","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-vladimir-putin","tag-volodymyr-zelenskyy"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}