Trump criticizes European NATO countries, praises Turkey's Erdogan in meeting with NATO Sec.-Gen.

During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his dissatisfaction with the level of participation from European NATO countries in the Iran war. Trump stated, "We’re disappointed with most of them."

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We’re disappointed with most of them.

Rutte, however, defended the allies' contributions, asserting that "Generally speaking, your European allies have been there with you." He emphasized that European countries served as a crucial "power projection platform" for the United States, citing Romania's closure of its airport to commercial traffic for U.S. military needs. Rutte noted that thousands of planes took off from European air bases during the conflict, making the Iran operation difficult without Europe's support.

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Generally speaking, your European allies have been there with you.

In a separate discussion, Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing him as a friend. Trump claimed Erdogan stayed out of the Iran war at his request, despite potentially having motivations to aid Iran due to his stance on Israel. "Everything I’ve ever asked him for, he’s done," Trump added, also mentioning he would attend the Ankara Summit at Erdogan's invitation.

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It would have been very difficult to do Iran without having Europe as a power projection platform for the United States.

Regarding military aid, Trump indicated a positive outlook on providing fighter jets and jet engines to Turkey, stating he would "probably do something" to make Turkey "very happy." This comes as U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed a review is underway for the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, despite Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which typically complicates such deals under U.S. law.

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He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran, maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel.