Trump heads to NATO summit in Ankara in a gloomy mood, officials fear for its course - CNN

The US President is heading to the NATO summit in Ankara in a "gloomy" mood, so officials fear whether everything will go "smoothly," CNN reports, writes UNN.

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Trump himself, the publication writes, stated that he is reluctant to go to the summit. Last month, at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he said he was going only because the summit is being held in the Turkish capital by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he considers a friend. A source familiar with the matter said Trump and his team were privately made to understand that not going to the summit, despite the US leader's considerations, would be disrespectful to Erdogan.

"This summit in Ankara is truly a time for our allies to step up, and I know that is exactly what President Trump expects," said Trump's ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.

European leaders hope to leave Ankara "without a big explosion," planning new defense pledges to appease Trump's anger. Rutte also tried to smooth over any differences during his June visit to the White House.

"But in concerned private conversations over the past week, many officials said they cannot be sure whether the summit will go smoothly, given the president's gloomy mood. The president has angrily complained behind closed doors about the lack of NATO support, and this rhetoric has spilled over into his public statements," the publication states. In the spring, Trump was furious that other NATO alliance members refused to join his military operation in Iran.

"It's ridiculous that the US continues on this unilateral path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not with us!!!" Trump wrote on social media a few days before the summit.

European leaders refuted Trump's criticism, noting that they were not consulted before the start of the war with Iran. Many pledged military aid to restore the operation of the Strait of Hormuz, although tensions in this critical waterway have slowed the full recovery of commercial traffic.

Senior US officials said the strait would be a topic of discussion in Ankara, although they expressed skepticism that European countries have the military capabilities to make a significant contribution to any effort.

Trump's dispute with European leaders did not derail the Group of Seven summit in France last month. Instead, Trump, inspired by positive progress in negotiations on Iran, seemed to get along well even with colleagues he had criticized over the previous months, the publication notes.

But during a meeting with Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump renewed his litany of complaints about NATO allies.

"Just be loyal. I just want their loyalty. We don't need their money, we don't need anything. We have the most powerful army in the world, certainly, but I just want loyalty," he said.

Rutte, "who for the past year and a half has worked with varying success to manage Trump's moods, tried to soften the president's hostility with charts showing an increase in European defense spending, which he attributed to Trump's pressure," the publication states.

Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands, whose flattering praise of Trump has occasionally drawn ridicule, used similar tactics at last year's NATO summit in The Hague, and it mostly worked. Trump left it praising European leaders and reaffirming his commitment to the NATO collective defense agreement.

European officials are hoping for a repeat in Ankara, but such an outcome seems to many to be a fading hope, the publication states. Trump has not abandoned his plans for Greenland, repeatedly asserting that the US needs it for national security, despite a scheme developed by Rutte in January to expand European defense on the self-governing Danish territory.

"So far, the only solution we have found on how to resolve this issue is the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, but we will continue to explore other options to address these issues," a senior US official said before the summit.

Over the past few months, the US has withdrawn troops faster than many European officials imagined, although Trump has threatened for years to reduce the American presence in Europe. Sources say Trump considered reducing troops in Europe by a third to send a signal to NATO.

"There should be no surprises that we are conducting a review of our strategy, or surprises that this review may well lead to adjustments in our strategy," a senior administration official said before the summit in Ankara.

Nevertheless, this has puzzled some Europeans who are trying to plan for the day when the United States no longer provides the bulk of the continent's security, the publication notes.

"The summit provides the United States with an opportunity to clarify what they plan to withdraw from Europe and to consult with allies on how capability gaps can be filled. The question is whether the Trump administration is ready for this," wrote Steven Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a recent discussion on NATO. "Allies need clarity from Washington on what will remain, what will be withdrawn, and when. And for that to happen, Washington needs to decide."

"Many fear that any changes in US military strategy could embolden Russia, whose offensive in Ukraine has reached a stalemate," the publication writes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend a leaders' dinner in Ankara but will not participate in summit meetings. However, he will hold a personal meeting with Trump on Wednesday, the publication notes.

"Trump, whose attention has been diverted by the war with Iran, recently expressed admiration for Zelensky's ability to continue the fight against a much larger adversary. European countries plan to pledge tens of billions of euros in military support to Ukraine to show Trump that they are ready to fund the fight," the publication states.

"Whether any of this will help keep the peace at the conference this week remains to be seen," the publication concludes.

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