Turkiye hosted the NATO Summit on July 7-8, at one of the most consequential moments in NATO's modern history, with member states facing mounting pressure to increase defense spending, strengthen military capabilities, and redefine the Alliance's strategic priorities amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Many analysts said the summit exposed the deep fractures within the members of NATO, with the Alliance seemingly unaligned on many issues. Each member of NATO is pulling in separate directions.
Turkiye is hoping to emerge as one of the Alliance's most influential strategic actors. But, this has been met with Israeli concern that their position as the region's premier U.S. ally may be threatened.
Trump Signals Major Shift in U.S.-Turkiye Relations
One of the summit's most closely watched developments was President Donald Trump's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. Trump described Turkiye as "a great ally" and stated that U.S.-Turkish relations are now "better than ever."
He announced that Washington is considering approving the sale of F-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft to Turkiye and indicated he had no concerns regarding Ankara's acquisition of the advanced aircraft.
The Trump administration is preparing to reintegrate Turkiye into the F-35 program after its suspension in 2019 following Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Trump also praised Turkiye's role during the recent conflict involving Iran, describing Ankara as a valuable partner that contributed to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending hostilities and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu Warns Against F-35 Transfer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly opposed to the potential sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkiye.
Netanyahu argued that such a deal would "destroy the balance of power" in the Middle East.
Erdogan's stance in support of the Palestinian people, and against the genocidal policies of Israel, has caused some Israeli politicians to call Turkey "the new Iran".
NATO describes itself as a defense organization. However, historically it has always been an offense organization. The US-NATO attack on Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Syria were carried out on orders from Washington and enriching the Western military-industrial complex.
Turkiye played a major role in the US-NATO invasion and attack on Syria for regime change by hosting the mercenaries used to fight the Syrian people.
The European members of NATO recall that it was Turkiye who opened the flood-gates of migrants from Syria to Europe in beginning in 2015, which has destabilized Europe and drained it of funds.
Turkiye's Path into NATO
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