"NATO has disappointed me greatly. If the summit had not been held in Turkey, I might not have come," said US President Donald Trump during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the US President emphasized the strength of his personal relationship with the Turkish leader while addressing reporters.
"If it were not for our strong friendship, I might not have attended this summit. Coming to Turkey is a very positive step for us. However, we have not been treated well by NATO. We conducted an operation in Iran, but they declared they were not with us. We have spent trillions of dollars to protect European countries. We always provide support, but we do not see it when we need it," Trump added.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established in 1949, serves as a collective security alliance. Historically, the burden of defense spending among member states has been a recurring point of contention, with the US frequently urging European allies to increase their financial contributions to meet the alliance's defense targets.
