Former United States Ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, has assessed that U.S. President Donald Trump is not expected to create major tensions at the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, despite his continued criticism of European allies.
In an interview with Euronews, Volker said Trump is known for his sharp reactions on various issues, but believes that this time he will not want to put Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an uncomfortable position.
“Donald Trump is always angry about something—whether it is Europe’s contributions, defense spending, or Iran. However, he has a good relationship with President Erdoğan and does not want to spoil the summit,” Volker stated, as reported by Sinjali.
Trump has sharply criticized NATO member states in recent months, accusing them of not supporting the United States and Israel during the conflict with Iran. He has claimed that some allies failed to meet their obligations to Washington within the alliance framework.
According to reports, Spain and Italy refused the use of their military bases, while France did not allow its airspace to be used for flights transporting weapons to Israel for operations against Iran.
In May, Trump also had a public clash with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the latter criticized the U.S. strategy in the war against Iran, describing it as “poorly thought out.” Following this, the U.S. president announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany and called European partners “cowards,” while describing NATO as a “paper tiger.”
Nevertheless, European allies emphasized that they had not been consulted in advance about the military operation against Iran and that the conflict was not related to NATO’s defensive mission.
Days before the summit, Trump stated on his social media platform Truth Social that the U.S. relationship with NATO is “one-sided” and “not reciprocal,” adding that it is “ridiculous” that Washington continues to maintain this approach.
He also confirmed that he will attend the summit in Turkey only out of respect for President Erdoğan.
“If the summit were not held in Turkey, I don’t believe I would attend. I am going out of respect for President Erdoğan,” Trump told journalists during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House.
On the other hand, Volker described the Trump administration’s claims that Europe abandoned the U.S. during the Iran conflict as exaggerated.
“First, no one was informed in advance that the U.S. would strike Iran. Then there were complaints that allies did not join the operation. This is an exaggeration, because allies were not asked in advance for such support,” he said.
