Trump Praises NATO's 32 Leaders and Backs Ukraine After Reviving Greenland Dispute
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 8
Trump Praises NATO's 32 Leaders and Backs Ukraine After Reviving Greenland Dispute
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 8
Summary
At a closed-door Ankara summit, Trump struck an unexpectedly upbeat tone, praising allies that raised defense spending and avoiding any new threat to cut U.S. troop commitments in Europe.
The shift stood out because he had arrived saying Greenland was a "big problem" and repeating that the U.S. should control the Danish territory, while also pressing members to hit NATO's 5% of GDP spending goal.
In a separate meeting, Trump praised Volodymyr Zelensky's war effort, calling Ukraine's fight against Russia "tough" and saying Zelensky had done "an amazing job."
Denmark still pushed back hard: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland was not for sale and vowed to defend Danish territory, even as NATO chief Mark Rutte said a U.S.-Danish-Greenland process remained in place.
The summit left NATO with a temporary show of unity, but also underscored how Trump's Greenland demands and pressure on laggards such as Spain still test trust inside the 32-member alliance.