ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit Wednesday in Turkey that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make to counter missile attacks from Russia in their , a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.
Allowing foreign manufacture of Patriots, which the U.S. had resisted, was a turnaround for Trump that mirrored his day at the NATO meeting: Upon arriving, he lashed out at European partners for resisting his efforts to and for not supporting his war in Iran. But by day’s end, he described a gathering of unity and 鈥渢remendous love,” and praised member nations on their progress in increasing their defense spending.
NATO鈥檚 European members plus Canada have scrambled to meet the alliance’s increased , which Trump has demanded as the U.S. draws down troops in Europe and insists the continent take more responsibility for its own security.
Trump had reopened old wounds among the by insisting again ahead of the summit that the U.S. should control Greenland, . That led Denmark鈥檚 Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to say her country is 鈥渞eady to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory.鈥�
Trump also blasted some European countries for refusing to participate in the Iran campaign, as 鈥渁 terrible partner in NATO鈥� and to cut off trade.
Trump strikes a positive tone on Zelenskyy
But the tone of Trump鈥檚 meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a break from earlier encounters which , and Trump praised the Ukrainian leader’s willingness to reach a deal on ending the fighting in Ukraine.
鈥淲e鈥檝e actually developed a good relationship. It鈥檚 hard to believe,鈥� Trump said during a news conference with Zelenskyy, adding that he believed a deal on ending the war was on the horizon and that the U.S. would 鈥渨ork on some kind of security package鈥� to provide to Ukraine.
Trump said the Ukrainian president has 鈥渄one an amazing job鈥� and 鈥渂een very effective鈥� in the war as he pledged to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot defense systems.
鈥淲e鈥檒l give them the right to make Patriots. We鈥檒l show them how to do it,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 think they can produce them pretty quickly.鈥�
Patriots are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce. Zelenskyy has for years been asking for more of them, and more recently for a license so that Ukraine can manufacture its own.
NATO chief backs latest US strikes on Iran
Ahead of the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump for the overnight, after Tehran struck three merchant ships .
鈥淚 think what you did last night was absolutely necessary,鈥� Rutte said to Trump. 鈥淚t was a very strong response, and I鈥檓 with you on this.鈥�
The U.S. strikes, as well as the revoking of a license allowing Iran to sell its oil on global markets, underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting.
Trump said of the interim agreement with Iran: 鈥淔or me, I think it鈥檚 over鈥� 鈥� but added he will allow talks to continue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a waste of time dealing with them,鈥� he said.
NATO leaders sought to show Trump they were boosting defense
Rutte has dedicated a to keeping Trump’s support for NATO and to holding the summit together. On Wednesday, he sought to tamp down the president鈥檚 ire by giving him credit for recent increases in defense spending from NATO allies.
鈥淕rab the win. It鈥檚 there,鈥� Rutte told Trump on Wednesday.
The NATO chief pointed to countries including Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Denmark that are investing more in defense, but noted that the Trump administration expects 鈥渢he Europeans and Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States.鈥�
Last month Rutte went to Washington to hail the 鈥淭rump Trillion鈥� 鈥� the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to defense spending since Trump came to power in 2017.
As leaders converged on Ankara, Rutte hosted a 鈥渂ig reveal鈥� event to showcase the many deals planned for the increased spending 鈥� much of it to be spent on U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.
At last year’s summit, the allies agreed to 鈥� 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on infrastructure so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.
Yet figures released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic have struggled to meet the alliance鈥檚 old spending target of 2% of GDP.
The Trump administration wants to see a leaner 鈥淣ATO 3.0,鈥� with Europe taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, with conventional weapons while America would continue to provide its nuclear umbrella.
The Pentagon has launched a in Europe, leaving allies to seek clarity on just how deeply Trump intends to cut U.S. force numbers.
Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry
Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal Tuesday for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost NATO鈥檚 defense capabilities. Russia is vehemently opposed to that.
Zelenskyy has highlighted Ukraine鈥檚 adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia. He said Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces are 鈥渆liminating鈥� on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.
In a declaration following Wednesday’s summit, NATO leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with $80 billion to help meet its defense needs this year and next, noting 鈥渢he long-term threat Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security.鈥�
Concern has been mounting among some countries with borders near Russia that Moscow might be preparing a hybrid attack 鈥� a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks 鈥� on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to .
Trump administration to lift Syria’s terrorism designation
Trump also met with , a former insurgent who led the offensive that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad in December 2024. Despite having once been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump鈥檚 backing as he seeks to rebuild Syria and restore its shattered ties with the West.
Later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Trump has told U.S. lawmakers that the U.S. will soon remove Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of a year-long normalization process with the country鈥檚 new government.
鈥淟ifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,鈥� Rubio said.
In June 2025, Trump signed an executive order ending a number of economic sanctions before revoking the terrorism designation a few weeks later for al-Sharaa, though the designation for Syria remained.
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Associated Press journalists Collin Binkley and Michelle L. Price in Washington and Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations contributed.
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