Trump’s European allies Iran NATO summit where he lobbed criticisms
NATO leaders pose for a family photo during the NATO Summit in Ankara on July 8, 2026.
Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images
The Iran war has reignited and the United States may need European allies more than ever, but President Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Türkiye on Wednesday without announcing any new commitments from the defense alliance to help the conflict.
Instead, during his two days in Ankara, he gave mixed signals about his feelings towards the military alliance; at one point he claimed “tremendous unity”, while at another he had harsh words for other countries’ hesitancy to involve themselves in the Middle East conflict.
“I’m not happy with NATO, because they didn’t want to help us with Iran, which is the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism,” he said during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte. “They didn’t want to help us.”
Trump left the summit with a series of criticisms of his European counterparts at a time when their alliance could be useful in ending the war with Iran, which the US has re-escalated during the summit. European heads of state exchanged kind words in public, even as Trump complained about them in bilateral talks and at a press conference, leaving the question hanging over whether the United States would come to their defense if they were attacked.
The United States would greatly benefit from international assistance regarding Iran, a geopolitics expert said.
“I think the president should try to persuade leaders in Europe and the Persian Gulf to “do some damage to the Iranian economy,” Nicholas Burns, a Harvard University professor and former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
There was no immediate response from the White House, to which CNBC asked NATO to share the issues it agreed on regarding Iran during the summit.
NATO has been a common target of damaging remarks during both of Trump’s presidencies, as he pressured other member states to increase defense spending.
Trump has repeatedly said that the United States does not actually need NATO’s help but is seeking help from Iran as a loyalty test.
“I was actually testing, I wanted to see if they would be there,” Trump said in his conversation with Rutte on Wednesday, noting that he had spoken to several NATO members, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Trump’s NATO needs and woes
The narrative that NATO members have failed the Iran “test” dovetails with Trump’s constant criticism that the alliance is an unfair deal for the United States and that its members do not show enough loyalty to America.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to reduce the US military presence in Europe, and he did so again this week despite Russia’s persistent threat to Ukraine and other neighbors, and Trump has flirted with the possibility of reducing the US presence in Europe. pulling the USA out The entire 77-year alliance.
NATO leaders, especially Rutte, continue to speak highly of Trump and the United States, by far the alliance’s most powerful member. Continued US support is critical to the group’s strength; the commitment that an attack on one state will be considered an attack on all, especially when it comes to the effectiveness of Article 5.
Rutte told Trump on Wednesday: ““I know you’re disappointed about Iran.”
He noted that thousands of US planes took off from European airports to support Trump’s military attack on Iran. “Europe was a major power projection platform for the United States,” he said.
At the press conference, Trump did not directly answer when asked whether European countries at odds with the United States could still count on US support if they were attacked.
“They didn’t help us. We didn’t need help, but we wish we had asked for help,” he said.
Trump also raised the possibility of withdrawing all agreements. approximately 68,000 US soldiers That figure, based in Europe, has already fallen since Trump began his second term as president.
“We can get all our troops out of Europe,” Trump said Tuesday, as he complained that his bid to seize Greenland had been rebuffed despite “all the money we spent helping them with Russia.”
Europe is reading Trump
European leaders told CNBC they viewed the president’s warning to withdraw troops as an empty threat.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki told CNBC: “I am sure that American soldiers will remain in Poland… Together with Polish soldiers, we will secure central eastern Europe and NATO borders.”
“President Trump is a great friend of the Republic of Poland,” Nawrocki added. “We have nearly 10,000 American soldiers in Poland. We want to establish a permanent camp for American soldiers in Poland.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told CNBC: “I don’t think the US will withdraw all its troops from Europe.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a statement to CNBC that she is confident in the US support in Europe. Steve Sedgwick said Trump would “protest the Baltics and Poland when asked pretty harshly about the Russia stuff.”
Tension over defense spending was the most anticipated topic of discussion of this NATO Summit, and European leaders were prepared for their comments. While some acknowledged that U.S. pressure led to increased spending, others said it was the threat from Russia that caused the increases.
“We heard Americans loud and clear; we want them to take more responsibility for your own defense, that is, in wartime, in peacetime, and in planning,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told CNBC on Tuesday. he said.
“There should be a club, and it should be called the 5% club,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told CNBC, referring to the percentage of GDP each NATO country has committed to.
