Trump "Frustrated with NATO and Meloni".. and Finalizes Sale of "F-35" to Turkey

SadaNews - U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that the United States will make a decision regarding the sale of "F-35" fighters to Turkey, indicating that he has no concerns about Ankara acquiring these aircraft, stressing that U.S.-Turkish relations "have now become better."

During his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said he attended the summit because it was held in Turkey, "in appreciation of President Erdoğan," calling Turkey a "great ally" of the United States. He added that Ankara has purchased advanced American equipment and aircraft, and that Washington is committed to providing maintenance services and ongoing technical support for the engines and equipment it sells to its allies, confirming that this commitment includes Turkey.

This comes as The New York Times revealed that Trump intends to inform Erdoğan of his readiness to reinstate Turkey into the "F-35" program, a move that could represent a significant shift in defense relations between the two countries, after Washington excluded it from the "F-35" program in 2019, following Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

In return, President Erdoğan announced that his country received a promise from the U.S. President to deliver five "F-35" fighters, expressing hope for progress in this file in the coming period, considering that "the United States and Turkey represent the most important countries in NATO," expressing confidence that the NATO summit in Ankara will yield positive results that serve the alliance.

Trump praised Turkey's role during the war with Iran, stating that Ankara was a "wonderful partner" and provided significant support to the United States, adding that it played a central role with other countries to help end the military operation against Iran and prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, noting that Erdoğan does not want to see Iran possess nuclear weapons.

Trump added that "Turkey, despite having a large military power, did not engage in the war," describing it as "one of the most traditional countries that advanced assistance" to Washington.

Trump "Frustrated" with NATO

Additionally, the U.S. President continued to direct sharp criticism towards NATO, stating that he "felt frustrated with the alliance's performance during the war with Iran," and that he was "testing allies during that war."

On the Russian-Ukrainian file, the U.S. President revealed that he had "very good discussions" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing his belief that "something positive will happen soon" regarding the war in Ukraine, and emphasizing that Moscow and Kyiv want to reach an agreement and settle the conflict.

As for the Syrian issue, Trump confirmed that the United States has a good relationship with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, stating that he "did a great job during the past year and a half," and that he brought him together with President Erdoğan, considering that he succeeded in unifying Syria remarkably. He emphasized that his country intends to lift some sanctions and that it "will not impose sanctions on friends."

Trump also touched on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, describing her as "an excellent person," but said she "refused to support the United States regarding the intervention related to the Strait of Hormuz and engaging in confrontation with Iran, which impacted the nature of their relationship." Nonetheless, he noted that he did not exert much pressure on her, but he was not happy with her stance, mentioning that the United States has huge oil resources, especially when considering Venezuela's production.

Meloni accused Trump last month of fabricating a story about her after he told an Italian television channel that she "begged" him for a photo with him during the G7 summit held in France. As they both intended to participate in the NATO summit, it appeared that Trump was reigniting the dispute when he posted on Truth Social a photo of Meloni looking at him with a caption saying, "A court order is needed to keep her away."

Control over Greenland

Trump continued to reiterate his quest for "the necessity of U.S. control over Greenland," while considering at the same time that his country does not need the Strait of Hormuz due to its massive oil resources.