Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, July 7 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was disappointed with NATO allies regarding the conflict in Iran as he arrived in Ankara, capital of Türkiye, for the alliance’s summit.
Answering journalists’ questions before a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex, Trump sharply criticized European allies.
Stating that Italy, France, and Germany “let us down,” Trump asked, “So why are we spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they didn’t come to our aid?”
Erdogan said during the meeting that Türkiye was making every effort to stabilize Iran-U.S. relations.
The reluctance of European countries to send warships to support U.S. efforts to “reopen” the Strait of Hormuz had prompted criticism from Trump, who harshly accused European allies of benefiting from U.S. security guarantees while refusing to offer help in the Iran war. ■
