Trump attacks NATO allies: I was disappointed by the lack of support; without the summit in Turkey, I might not have come

Donald Trump has repeated his criticism of NATO countries, saying he felt “very disappointed” by the lack of support from allies during the conflict with Iran.

In a statement to the media from Ankara, alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the United States said he had decided to “test” the allies to understand whether they would stand by the US at a difficult moment.

“I was testing people. I wanted to see if they would be there for us, because for a long time I have said that we help them, but I am not sure whether they would be there for us,” Trump said.

According to him, some NATO states chose not to get involved in the conflict with Iran, something he openly criticized.

“We were not treated well. In fact, I did not even want their help, since they said they would not be there. We have invested trillions of dollars in NATO to protect European countries and others,” he said.

Trump directly mentioned Italy, Germany and France, stressing that these countries refused to support the United States.

“Italy rejected us, Germany rejected us and France rejected us. That is fine, but why do we spend hundreds of billions of dollars while they are not there for us? We have always been there for them,” the American president said.

He also touched on the decision by outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who allowed the use of British air bases by American forces only for defensive strikes against Iran. Trump described this as a “very unpopular” decision.

The American president also added that his participation in the NATO summit might not have happened if the meeting were not being held in Turkey.

“If the summit were not being held in Turkey, where my friend is a very strong leader, it is possible that I would not have come,” he said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.