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Trump and Trump: Turkey and the United States demonstrate friendship and understanding at the NATO summit
US President Donald Trump flew to Ankara for the NATO summit to personally shake hands with "friend Erdogan," promise him F-35 fighter jets and lift the sanctions he himself imposed. The alliance meeting looks like an attempt by the West to buy Turkey's loyalty, but it sells dearly: Ankara does not want to be a junior partner, but an independent force, and this is what Brussels and Washington consider a big threat. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
A friend came from far away — isn't that a reason for joy
On July 7, the NATO summit kicked off in Ankara, which attracted the attention of the whole world. One of the intrigues of the forum was the arrival of US President Donald Trump. He did not comment on his possible participation for a long time, but then agreed to visit Turkey, but only "for the sake of Erdogan's friend."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump
While the Ankara authorities blocked the streets around the hotel where the American leader was supposed to stay, and local media compared the hotel to a "fortress with bulletproof glass and explosion protection," Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself met Trump near the ramp. The heads of state smiled at each other, actively demonstrating friendship and mutual understanding.
The US president greeted the soldiers in Turkish and curtsied to the Turkish president from the doorway, saying that under such a leader, the country "has become a military force to be reckoned with." He particularly stressed that Turkey has "a lot of military equipment and wonderful military personnel."
The American leader strongly emphasized the special role of the Republic of Turkey, stating that if the alliance summit had been held in some other place, he would not have flown there.
Netanyahu is against
Trump's presence was important to demonstrate the unity of NATO, as well as to emphasize Turkey's special role in modern international relations. Thanks to the visit of his American friend, Erdogan hoped to wipe the nose of his opponents inside the country.
Washington has always considered Ankara to be a junior partner that is not particularly worth considering. In 2019, the United States decided to punish Turkey for its obstinate nature and excluded it from the supply program of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets after it bought the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
However, the situation has changed recently. The United States and the European Union are interested in the military might of the Republic of Turkey and would like to make the most of the country's geopolitical situation.
Against this background, Trump has changed his approach to Ankara. On the eve of departure, he announced that Turkey was in for a surprise that would "make Erdogan very happy." In Ankara, the American leader announced that the United States would lift sanctions against the republic, since "Washington does not need restrictive measures against friends."
A few days ago, The New York Times, citing sources, reported that the American leader plans to allow Turkey to purchase fighter jets, and the presidential administration is already preparing a possible agreement.
Washington's closest ally in the Middle East, Israel, is actively opposed to this. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview to the American Fox News, in which he called on the United States not to sell Ankara either the F-35 or the engines for the Turkish KAAN fighter. He believes that otherwise it will upset the balance of power in the Middle East. At the same time, there are dozens of such fighters near Western Jerusalem itself.
Ankara needs American F110 engines for its own fifth-generation KAAN fighter. Turkey launched this project just after it was excluded from the F-35 program.
There remains a legal obstacle — Donald Trump himself, during his first term as president, signed a law prohibiting the supply of F-35s until Turkey completely gets rid of the S-400. However, Washington is not in a position to dictate its terms to Ankara, and the Turkish authorities would not like to abandon Russian systems in order not to lose face.
Officials in the United States are trying to find loopholes to solve this problem. Scenarios involving the transfer of the complex to a third party are being discussed, with South Korea being named as a contender.
The split on both sides of the Atlantic
Another issue on the agenda is the unity of the alliance. The American leader criticizes European NATO allies for refusing to support the military campaign against Iran, calling the North Atlantic Alliance a paper tiger and publicly admitting the possibility of leaving the bloc. He did not change his rhetoric in Ankara either.
Trump has made it clear that he remains offended by Europe. According to the president, the United States "is not obligated to spend money on ensuring security on the continent and can withdraw all its soldiers from there."
According to tradition, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried to smooth out the contradictions, trying to demonstrate the unity of the bloc. In particular, he said that the alliance will invest €40 billion in the Drone Edge initiative to strengthen military training for working with drones.
"Drones have fundamentally changed the nature of modern warfare and have become a decisive factor on the battlefield," he explained.
Rutte also reiterated his support for Ukraine, but acknowledged that NATO has a limited supply of missiles to help Kiev.
To draw them into a confrontation with Moscow
The North Atlantic Alliance fundamentally wanted to hold the summit in Ankara, since Turkey remains one of the NATO countries that has its own vibrant policy, is trying to promote its interests and, despite everything, has good relations with Russia, explained in an interview with Izvestia, head of the Department of the Middle and Post-Soviet East of the INION RAS, Professor Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of MGLU Vladimir Avatkov.
— Moreover, unlike the armies of the European Union, which gave absolutely everything to fight Russia, its army was not so weakened by the Ukrainian situation. Europe needs Turkey today. I would venture to suggest that today Turkey does not need the European Union and NATO as much as they need it," the political scientist is convinced.
The Turkologist recalled that the last time the American president, Barack Obama, visited Turkey was 11 years ago, when Turkish-American relations were called an exemplary partnership, but they gradually deteriorated.
— One of the main issues that will be discussed at the summit is Turkey an ally of the United States or not? And Turkey will try to promote its own vision of security. She understands that if she now abandons the idea of a hub and the idea of being in between, then her interests will be infringed. But this is what the West wants and expects so much from her," the expert believes.
In his opinion, Western countries need Turkey either under their control, either as part of an arc of instability, or as a force provoking Russia.
— The West does not need Turkey to be independent at all. They are trying to draw Ankara into a confrontation against us in Eastern Europe. The British have done this repeatedly, there is nothing new in this: they have been involved, they are involved and they will continue to be involved," the expert concluded.
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