Trump heads to Turkey for NATO summit as tensions simmer in Europe

Aboard his new Air Force One gifted by Qatar, President Donald Trump will travel to Ankara Monday evening with a long list of grievances for NATO allies gathering in the Turkish capital for a two-day summit. Still irritated that members of the military alliance didn't heed his call to assist in the Iran war, Trump also continues to accuse allies of not carrying their weight in defense spending. "I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK...We were disappointed with Germany and France. We're disappointed with most of them. Spain is a horror show. Spain is terrible, even from your standpoint. I mean, they don't want to pay anything. They think they're in for a free ride," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last week. Of the 32 member nations, the United States is the top contributor by dollar amount but, when measured by share of GDP, trails behind Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Norway, according to the most recent available data from NATO. According to Rutte, at the Ankara summit, members will be expected to demonstrate how they will ramp up defense spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035, following through on a collective pledge made in The Hague last year. "After years of underinvestment, we are producing real capabilities. European allies and Canada are now on a trajectory to equalize their defense spending with the United States," Rutte said during a pre-summit press conference Monday. Rutte also called on the alliance to redouble its commitment to aiding Ukraine. Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit. “Let me be clear: All allies need to pull their weight so that our support to Ukraine continues to flow because Ukraine security is so closely linked with our own," Rutte said. Russian strikes on Ukraine on Monday killed more than 20 people and injured dozens more, according to Ukrainian authorities. "This is typical of Putin: right after America’s Independence Day and before the NATO summit in Ankara. Russia wants to bring more evil and kill people," Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian forces are facing a shortage of American-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles, leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian attacks. “We understand that the political will of the United States would certainly be enough to make up for the Patriot shortage, but so far, there is not enough of that support," Zelenskyy said. READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/... _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: 13 WHAM on Facebook:   / 13wham   13 WHAM on Twitter:   / 13wham   13WHAM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13whamtv/?h... 13WHAM on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en 13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest:    • 13WHAM Local News Digest   For more information, visit https://13wham.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700 WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork