Trump draws positive conclusion on NATO summit in Ankara and praises Rutte

At a press conference in Ankara, Trump also said: "Wir hatten eine großartige Zeit". With this retrospective assessment, the US president deviated markedly from his appearance at the start of the summit, which, according to Tagesspiegel Plus, had been marked by sharp criticism and confrontation. Tagesspiegel Plus summed it up by saying Trump had shown the NATO summit "an einem Tag zwei Gesichter": first he had insulted the alliance partners, then declared his commitment to them and finally enthused about the Western alliance.

Praise for Rutte and a look at the mood

Trump particularly highlighted the role of Rutte, who is regarded among European top politicians as "Trump-Versteher Nummer eins". For him, the US president found laudatory words: Rutte had done "fantastische Arbeit". Trump also described the NATO Secretary General with the words "Er ist einer, der vereint" – a remarkable statement given the tensions that had weighed on the alliance in recent years.

With reference to the Tagesspiegel report, a reconciliatory mood was also discernible in Ankara. In the room there had been "enorme Liebe" to be felt, the medium wrote, referring to the public atmosphere among the heads of state and government. From this observation, Trump derived the assessment that the summit had been a success – an interpretation that did not remain uncontested in Europe.

Details on the substance of the summit's decisions – on defence spending, new mutual-assistance commitments or Ukraine policy – were not mentioned in the available sources. Statements by other heads of state and government on Trump's appearance have likewise not been documented so far. It therefore remains unclear what concrete results the deliberations in Ankara produced beyond the public staging.

Decisions behind the scenes

Trump's shift in mood within a single day nonetheless remains remarkable. After striking harsh tones at the outset, his conclusion at the end was conciliatory. This volte-face was consistently highlighted across the available reports and is considered one of the most striking images of this summit.

Trump spoke positively about Erdogan's role as host, without elaborating further on the substance. According to the available sources, the Turkish president contributed to Trump ultimately choosing the term "sehr erfolgreich". That too is remarkable, given that the relationship between Washington and Ankara has repeatedly been described as strained in the past.

Significance for the Europeans

Overall, according to the available reports, the course of the summit in Ankara shows a familiar pattern: Trump alternates between threats and embraces, between confrontation and praise. Which of these phases will have a lasting political impact will become clear in the coming weeks.

The immediate reaction of European capitals to Trump's closing assessment had not been conclusively documented at the time of the available reporting. The European counterpoint to the picture Trump himself drew in Ankara is thus still missing.