President Donald Trump walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, upon arriving for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. AP
Trump is due to hold talks with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his sprawling presidential palace before joining an official leaders' dinner ahead of the main session of the summit on Wednesday.
U.S. President meets fellow NATO leaders at a summit on Tuesday as the alliance tries to persuade him that their countries are actively increasing their military capabilities even as the American focus shifts away from its defence of Europe toward Asia.
Trump has been critical of NATO's abilities to function without American leadership and power, moved to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe and cast doubt on whether the U.S. would come to the aid of a NATO ally under attack. He also remains disappointed at some NATO allies’ refusal to join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which he had launched alongside Israel without consulting them.
The two-day summit in Ankara, Turkey, will showcase a series of military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to persuade Trump they are making a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO.
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