Trump says respect for Erdogan led to Türkiye trip

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will attend the NATO summit in Türkiye out of respect for his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, suggesting that he would not have accepted the invitation if the meeting had been hosted by another leader, EFE reported on Thursday, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“I don't think I would have gone. (...) I wouldn't have gone for most people. He called me and said, ‘Please, we're doing it in Turkey, you have to be there, the United States has to be there.’ So I'm going out of respect for President Erdoğan,” Trump said during a public appearance in Washington alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump praised the Turkish president, describing him as “a great leader” and “a very strong person,” and said he had respected Erdoğan’s request to stay out of the recent conflict involving Iran.

“Erdoğan did everything I asked him to do,” the U.S. president said.

The positive remarks about Türkiye came as Trump criticized other NATO members, including Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, accusing them of criticizing the United States and refusing to provide logistical support during the war with Iran.

Photo: White House