NATO leaders meet in Ankara as US ceasefire with Iran teeters

NATO's European leaders aim to convince Donald Trump on Wednesday to re-commit to the military alliance at a summit in Ankara after the US President revived disputes over the Iran war and Greenland and launched a new wave of strikes on Iran.

On arriving in the Turkish capital on Tuesday, Trump took swipes at allies for not standing by the US on the Iran war and said he might have boycotted the meeting had it not been for his friendship with the host, President Tayyip Erdogan.

The US then unleashed new military strikes on Iran and revoked a licence allowing Iran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers. It was the latest blow to a fragile ceasefire agreement in a war that is deeply unpopular in Europe.

RUTTE SAYS US ATTACKS ON IRAN 'ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY'

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the new US strikes as "absolutely necessary" and played down Trump's disappointment with allies as "isolated cases".

NATO on Tuesday had sought to demonstrate that its European members were heeding Trump’s calls to spend more on their own defence and rely less on the US by unveiling a raft of  arms deals  worth at least $50 billion.

Trump, who has harshly criticised NATO during both his first and second terms in office, said he was “very disappointed” with the alliance and that the US was not “treated well" during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars, and they're not there for us? We've always been there for them,” Trump said in an appearance on Tuesday alongside Erdogan.

Trump has accused European nations of failing to let US forces use their airspace and bases on their territories during the war.

European officials have said they largely honoured their commitments to U.S. forces, despite not having been consulted about a conflict that roiled their economies.

SUMMIT DECLARATION AFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO COLLECTIVE DEFENCE

The 32 NATO leaders met for a dinner on Tuesday evening but the main session of their summit takes place on Wednesday.

Ambassadors from all NATO members have approved a summit declaration that affirms an “ironclad commitment” to collective defence. But the declaration will only be issued after it has been endorsed by the leaders.

The Trump administration has pressed Europeans to boost defence spending and take on primary responsibility for the conventional defence of Europe as it seeks to shift its military focus to the Indo-Pacific.

The US has also announced troop withdrawals from Europe, cut the forces it assigns to NATO’s defence plans — including an aircraft carrier, refuelling aircraft, fighter jets and drones — and launched a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.

European leaders say they are working to take on more responsibility for the continent’s security but want a predictable and orderly transition to avoid any gaps in their defences that could be exploited by Russia.

European officials have said they hope Trump’s regard for Erdogan and his good relationship with Rutte would help smooth over tensions at the summit.