US President Donald Trump has told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he plans to attend the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, the UK-based Middle East policy portal “Middle East Eye“ reported yesterday, citing several informed sources, BTA reported.
Trump has announced his plans to attend the meeting during his talks with Erdogan on May 20, sources say.
The issue of Trump's presence at the meeting has been commented on with great interest recently because of the criticism he has leveled at a number of alliance countries for their unwillingness to support the US in the war with Iran. The American president even stated in early April that he was seriously considering withdrawing his country from NATO.
According to sources, however, the tone of his conversation with Erdogan was apparently different and he confirmed his participation in the meeting in Ankara.
Over the weekend, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Erdogan had spoken to Trump many times and in none of the conversations did the American president hint that he might not attend.
According to some reports, the Turkish president hopes to meet with Trump during the group stage match of the World Cup in Los Angeles on June 25, the publication writes. However, his sources have clarified that a decision on such a visit has not yet been made.
Unnamed officials told “Middle East Eye“ that Trump is known for acting impulsively, and nothing has yet been officially decided about his participation in the NATO summit in Ankara. He has sent mixed signals to the alliance from the start, ordering the deployment of 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after announcing the withdrawal of the same number from Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and other European leaders are expected to try to convince Trump in Ankara of the importance of the alliance to transatlantic security.
But others believe that the process Trump has started cannot be reversed and that it is best for Turkey, as the host of the summit, and other allies to try to reach a roadmap with Washington for a gradual rather than abrupt US withdrawal from Europe. “We need a new framework that will both satisfy Trump’s wishes and address Europe’s security needs. But that will take years,” a European diplomat quoted by the Middle East Eye said.