The Nato Ankara summit in five Trump quotes: Iranians are peverse, Spain is a lost cause, Nato does not make me happy

To Donald Trump’s question about whether he would go to Moscow for talks, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky answered that there were “too many Ukrainian drones” there, so it would be dangerous.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte had hoped the US would appreciate the European allies for increasing defence investments by more than one trillion dollars.

Even before the alliance’s top-level meeting in Ankara and during it, he praised Trump for having pushed Europeans into record military spending, and he urged him to “take that victory”.

Ambassadors of the member states had beforehand approved a statement in which they confirmed their “unwavering commitment” to collective defence.

None of this, however, helped secure an attempt at a friendly mood between the allies and the US. The American president, who announced the end of the truce with Iran, insulted Spain and again threatened to seize Greenland.

At the official meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the principle decision-making body within Nato, Trump avoided repeated verbal attacks. According to Reuters, he told leaders that the US wanted to stay in Nato. According to the Financial Times, he was much more affable during the formal session.

What was said in the final communiqué

• Nato again confirmed their “unwavering commitment” on collective defence under Article 5;
• they pledged to face the long-term threat that Russia posed to Euro-Atlantic security;
• they promised military assistance and training for Ukraine worth €70 billion;
• they stressed that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon, and they called on Iran to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The leaders also committed themselves to provide Ukraine with military aid worth more than €70bn in 2026 and at least as much again in 2027.

Trump himself said that the summit was “great” and “full of love”. The awkward feeling, however, persisted in light of his remarks.

1. He insulted Iranian leaders. Rutte praised him for the attacks

 “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them… There are sick people. They’re vicious, violent people. It’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars.”

The president used these aggressive statements in response to the renewed fighting between the US and Iran. On Tuesday, the US military struck 80 targets, which, according to the official statement, it did in response to Iranian interference with commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran did not claim responsibility for these attacks.

Iran responded on Wednesday with retaliatory attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Trump claimed that Iranians were liars and that negotiating with them was a waste of time. He even insultingly described them as a “cancer”. At the same time, he stressed that if they considered it appropriate, his diplomats could continue the talks.

Markets immediately reacted with a slight increase in oil prices of roughly six percent, to $74 dollars [€65] per barrel.

An EU spokesperson called on all parties to respect the truce and urged them to seek a diplomatic solution.

However, Nato's Rutte already during the summit said that the strikes on Iran were “necessary” for Israel "the region” and the rest of the world. This statement was in fact at odds with the position of several European countries.

Some observers were sceptical about Trump’s statements and pointed out that the US president often changed his mind. If there were further escalation in the Middle East, higher fuel prices could harm Republicans in the November congressional elections.

Trump, however, also threatened Iran during a later bilateral meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. “At night we will hit them hard,” he said.

2. He threatened to cut off trade with the Spaniards. It is unclear how he wants to do it

“I have not spoken with Spain. Spain is a wasted cause.”

The US president devoted special attention to Spain, which he had criticised in the past as well.

The Spanish were the only ones last year to refuse to commit to Nato’s plan to invest five percent of GDP in defence by 2035. The government of Pedro Sánchez, who then became one of the sharpest critics of the war in Iran, banned overflights by American aircraft involved in the strikes.