U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara for the NATO summit and, during the event, made critical remarks about NATO allies, berating and belittling many European counterparts. The relationship between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Trump is viewed as helpful for easing NATO divisions or Turkey’s position within the alliance.

According to almonitor, Turkey named a new airport building after President Trump and held a red‑white‑and‑blue air show at the summit. GDELT reported that President Trump praised President Erdogan, calling him a "hell of a leader" and a good friend, and also rebuked NATO countries over their defense spending.

MiddleEastEye reported that President Erdogan said Turkey is taking steps to reinforce global peace, that all friends are working together to achieve this end, that Turkey will work towards restoring peace in the Gaza region, that the NATO summit pays attention to these matters, and that he hopes for a good outcome from the summit.

AP News reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s actions in the war against Iran during an Oval Office meeting and pushed back on Trump’s criticism of the alliance, saying NATO allies backed him in the conflict.

AP News also noted previous interactions between the leaders: Trump shook hands with Erdogan in the Oval Office on September 25 2025, greeted him at a summit in Sharm El Sheikh on October 13 2025, and spoke with him during a news conference on November 13 2019.