
U.S. President Donald Trump meets fellow NATO leaders at a summit on Tuesday as the alliance tries to persuade him that their countries are actively increasing their military capabilities while the American focus shifts away from defending Europe.
Trump has been critical of NATO’s abilities to function without American leadership and power, moving to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe and casting doubt on whether the U.S. would come to the aid of a NATO ally under attack. He remains disappointed at some NATO allies’ refusal to join the Iran war he launched alongside Israel without consulting them.
The two-day summit in Ankara, Turkey, will showcase a series of military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to persuade Trump they are making a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO.
NATO official dismisses fears of a Russian attack on alliance members
A senior NATO official speaking on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara Tuesday said that despite some “reckless” actions by Russia, including airspace violations over Poland, Romania and Estonia, he believes the alliance has been successful in deterring Russia from any potential attack on a member country.
“I see absolutely no indications whatsoever that Russia is interested in any sort of conflict with NATO,” the official said.
He said Moscow is overstretched by its war in Ukraine and knows NATO would respond to any attack on a member.
“I would say now that Russia is deterred, but Russia is deterred because of the actions that we are taking,” he said.





