Trump blasts allies, says US should ´control´ Greenland on NATO summit sidelines

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday strongly criticized European allies after his arrival in the Turkish capital for the NATO summit, saying he was "disappointed" with the alliance's failure to support Washington in the Iran conflict, reported Xinhua.

Answering journalists' questions before his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex, Trump bluntly called out key member states.

"I had said that I was very disappointed with NATO," Trump said. "Frankly, we tested whether they would stand by our side or not. Italy let us down. Germany let us down. France let us down."

He questioned the value of Washington's massive security spending, asking why the U.S. continues to spend "hundreds of billions of dollars" if allies fail to come to its aid.

Noting how the Iran conflict affected bilateral ties, Trump specifically pointed to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

"Ms. Meloni is a good person, but our relationship took a bit of a downturn because she refused to help us," Trump said. "She refused to help us regarding Iran, and that slightly strained our relationship."

Trump also asserted that the United States should take control of Greenland from Denmark.

"Greenland needs to be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," he said.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. president's aircraft landed at Ankara's Esenboga Airport, where Trump was welcomed by Erdogan. The press remarks took place following an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex, just before the two leaders proceeded to their closed-door, one-on-one meeting.

Outlining the agenda for their talks, the leaders indicated they would address other regional issues. Trump said he recently held "highly productive" conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ankara summit holds particular significance against the backdrop of Washington's long-standing demands regarding burden-sharing. Trump has consistently pressured NATO members to significantly increase their defense spending, frequently criticizing European allies for relying too heavily on the United States for their security.