ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 鈥� Denmark on Wednesday vowed to defend its territory after President Donald Trump insisted again that the United , upending a NATO summit in Turkey meant to be a show of strength and unity.
Denmark鈥檚 Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country is 鈥渞eady to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory鈥� in the event of an attack, and would rely on NATO allies to honor their .
鈥淲e hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people鈥檚 right for self-determination,鈥� Frederiksen said ahead of the meeting of NATO leaders. 鈥淕reenland is of course not for sale.鈥�
Trump had reopened old wounds on the eve of the meeting by insisting that the United States should control Greenland,
Arriving at the summit on Wednesday, Trump said he was 鈥渘ot happy with NATO鈥� for its member nations鈥� pushback against his earlier , adding that the territory 鈥渋s very important for the United States, but it鈥檚 not important for Denmark.鈥�
Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland could put at risk the entire future of , which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The organization is normally focused on outside threats such as that posed by Russia. It is not designed to deal with threats from within.
Iceland鈥檚 Prime Minister Kristr煤n Frostad贸ttir said Greenland 鈥渂elongs to the people of Greenland,鈥� and called for unity in the face of Russia, which she called 鈥渢he biggest threat.鈥�
NATO chief backs latest US strikes on Iran
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said from Ankara on Wednesday that he believes the United States is fully committed to the alliance. He praised Trump for the overnight, after Tehran struck three merchant ships .
鈥淚 think what you did last night was absolutely necessary,鈥� Rutte said to Trump. 鈥淚t was a very strong response, and I鈥檓 with you on this.鈥�
The U.S. strikes, as well as the revoking of a license allowing Iran to sell its oil on global markets, underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting.
Trump said Wednesday the interim agreement with Iran is 鈥渙ver鈥� after the strikes, but that he will allow talks to continue.
鈥淔or me, I think it鈥檚 over,鈥� Trump responded when asked about the status of the ceasefire. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a waste of time dealing with them.鈥�
NATO leaders sought to show Trump they were boosting defense
The was meant to focus on progress made toward meeting 鈥� something Rutte highlighted by noting numerous countries that are already investing more.
鈥淭he commitment is there, no doubt,鈥� Rutte said before chairing the summit, but noted the Trump administration expects 鈥渢he Europeans and Canadian will equalize their spending with the United States.鈥�
In an attempt last month to mollify the U.S. leader, Rutte went to Washington to hail the 鈥淭rump Trillion鈥� 鈥� the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to defense spending since Trump came to power in 2017.
Yet Trump has demanded 鈥渓oyalty鈥� and after some allies refused to grant open access to their bases for U.S. forces to attack Iran.
Trump on Wednesday blasted NATO member Spain for its refusals to allow U.S. forces to use its bases to attack Iran, saying it was a 鈥渢errible partner in NATO鈥� and to cut off trade with Spain.
As leaders converged on Ankara, Rutte hosted a 鈥渂ig reveal鈥� event to showcase the many deals planned for the increased spending 鈥� much of it to be spent on U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.
NATO diplomats and officials had hoped that Trump would take the win, but judging by some of his remarks since arriving in Turkey, they are in for yet another dressing down.
NATO braces for Trump鈥檚 grievances
Trump has long argued that the U.S. carries more than its fair share of the defense burden for NATO. At last year’s summit, the allies agreed to 鈥� 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on infrastructure so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.
Yet new figures released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic could be in hot water with the Trump administration as they struggle to meet the alliance鈥檚 old spending target of 2% of GDP.
The Trump administration wants to see a more lean and lethal 鈥淣ATO 3.0,鈥� with Europe taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, with conventional weapons while America would continue to provide its nuclear umbrella.
However, the Pentagon has launched a in Europe, leaving allies to seek clarity on just how deeply Trump intends to cut U.S. force numbers.
Ukraine鈥檚 Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry
President made a fresh appeal Tuesday for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost NATO鈥檚 defense capabilities.
Zelenskyy, who is expected to on Wednesday, highlighted Ukraine鈥檚 adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit Moscow鈥檚 oil refineries and other energy targets. He said Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces are 鈥渆liminating鈥� on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.
Concern has been mounting among some northern, central and eastern European countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack 鈥� a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks 鈥� on the continent as President Vladimir Putin struggles to .
U.S. Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), one member of a congressional delegation attending the NATO summit, said at a news conference Wednesday that she hoped there would be a 鈥渞ecommitment鈥� to Ukraine, and that the momentum on the battlefield favored Kyiv.
鈥淲e need to do everything possible to ramp up pressure on Russia to come to the table,鈥� she said.
Trump will also , a former insurgent who led the offensive that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad in December 2024. Despite having once been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump鈥檚 backing as he seeks to rebuild Syria and restore its long-shattered ties with the West.
Trump has that al-Sharaa would do a better job of rooting out Hezbollah in Lebanon than the Israeli army, raising alarms in Lebanon and Israel alike. The Syrian leader has said he has no interest in doing so.
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