‘Love’ and ‘unity’: Takeaways from Trump’s visit to NATO

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump is returning to Washington after spending the last two days at the NATO summit in Turkey. On the agenda, the president emphasized increased defense spending from member countries, renewed interest in U.S. control of Greenland, and a new deal to support Ukraine against Russia.

Trump, who has often criticized NATO, offered rare praise for the alliance Wednesday, describing “tremendous” love and unity out of a working session at the summit.

“We achieved an unprecedented agreement to increase the annual defense spending and it’s the benchmark, rising it from 2% to 5% of GDP, which everybody said was impossible,” Trump said in a press conference. “Now, they’re all thanking me, and most of the countries have agreed to it.”

The president also announced $3 billion in new defense investments in the U.S., as well as increased sales and manufacturing of U.S. drone and missile technology abroad.

He said the deals would create jobs and spur economic growth both domestically and abroad.

Trump’s tone marked a notable shift from his previous threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO over frustrations with member countries’ contributions.

Under his direction, analysts say the U.S. is now reviewing its military footprint in Europe, which could lead to strategic changes overseas.

“Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Defense to put together a six-month study on reimagining our posture in Europe, especially when it comes to our air defenses and our jet fighters over there, as well as our drones and intelligence sharing,” political analyst Todd Belt said. “We could be in line for a major strategic change in Europe.”

Trump also reiterated interest in Greenland during the summit. Analysts say the island’s location between the East and West is important to U.S. security to deter threats from countries like Russia and China.

Greenland also has massive deposits of rare earth minerals, which Trump says can be used as valuable resources.

Still, Denmark, which partially oversees Greenland, has rejected Trump’s threats to buy or take control of the island using military force.

Trump also announced a major deal to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. The U.S. will now grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, which experts say will help Ukraine defend itself without relying solely on Western resources.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte appeared to welcome Trump’s leadership, crediting him for “transforming the alliance” and “making it stronger.”

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