Trump urges U.S. control of Greenland as NATO announces multi-billion-dollar defense projects
President Donald Trump said the United States should control Greenland and announced the removal of sanctions on Turkey, while NATO unveiled new defense contracts worth billions at its summit in Turkey.
President Donald Trump told reporters in Ankara that Greenland should be under U.S. control rather than Danish authority, repeating his claim that the island is surrounded by Chinese and Russian vessels. The comment came as NATO leaders gathered in Turkey to announce a series of defense projects valued at billions of dollars, an effort aimed at addressing long-standing concerns about European defence spending.
During the same meeting, Trump said the United States would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey after Ankara bought a Russian S-400 missile-defence system, a step that could ease Turkey’s re-entry into the U.S. F-35 fighter-jet program. He indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were working on the issue and added that selling F-35s to Turkey was “something certainly we’d consider.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism that the United States would follow through on the promise, noting the long-standing personal rapport between the two leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that providing F-35s to Turkey could threaten Israel’s security, while several U.S. lawmakers have raised objections to the sale while Turkey retains the S-400 system.
At the NATO summit, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the announced projects as “money well spent.” Among the initiatives, Swedish firm Saab will supply up to ten GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to a ten-nation consortium, and a multinational effort will procure Airbus air-to-air refuelling and transport planes. A separate four-country group will acquire up to five Triton surveillance drones. Funding for some projects will come from a European Union loan programme that has raised up to $170 billion on capital markets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the summit to reiterate his request for NATO membership, highlighting Ukraine’s combat experience and its contribution to the alliance’s defence capabilities. He is scheduled to meet President Trump in Ankara later in the week.
A senior NATO official, speaking on the sidelines, said the alliance has successfully deterred further Russian aggression despite recent airspace violations over several member states.
