NATO allies unveiled a wave of new defence contracts worth tens of billions of dollars at a summit in Turkey on Tuesday, in a concerted effort to address President Donald Trump’s frustration over European contributions to the alliance and the war with Iran.

The two-day gathering at Ankara’s sprawling presidential palace comes one year after NATO members committed to raising security-related spending to five per cent of GDP under pressure from the US leader. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has insisted that European countries are “delivering” by bolstering military budgets and assuming greater responsibility for the continent’s defence.

In a bid to impress Trump before his arrival in Ankara, the summit opened with a series of arms announcements at a defence industry forum. “Allies and industry from both sides of the Atlantic will reveal new major projects and sign contracts worth literally billions of dollars,” Rutte said. “These are billions that are invested in our security, boosting our economies and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs”.

According to various reports, the deals are estimated to be worth between $50 billion and $72 billion. They include European countries purchasing surveillance drones from US company Northrop Grumman and NATO acquiring surveillance planes from Sweden’s Saab. The Netherlands is also expected to announce more than €3 billion in deals.

However, Trump — still aggrieved that European countries restricted US forces from using bases to attack Iran — has spent the run-up to the summit criticising allies for not moving fast enough. “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

During his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump did not rule out further troop withdrawals from Europe. “Well, we’re going to see. I was very disappointed with NATO,” he said, singling out Britain, France, Germany and Italy for not doing enough to support the US war with Iran. Trump said the US “weren’t treated well” by the allies, even as he reiterated that he did not want or need their help. “Before I asked, they said they wouldn’t be there, and we’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO,” he said.

Despite the tensions, Trump announced Washington would lift sanctions on Turkey imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defence missiles. He also expressed willingness to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets, removing a longstanding irritant in bilateral ties.

European leaders are aiming to avoid a confrontation that could deal a further blow to NATO’s credibility after Trump repeatedly cast doubt on Washington’s commitment to protecting its allies. Diplomats are banking on Trump’s good relationship with Erdogan and an intensive charm offensive by Rutte to keep his mood in check. But with Trump having had recent fallings-out with several leaders — most notably Italy’s Giorgia Meloni — there are plenty of potential irritants.

Seeking to demonstrate willingness on Iran, European allies spearheaded by France and Britain have assembled a potential naval mission to help in the Strait of Hormuz, and countries have shifted vessels closer to the region. However, the situation remains volatile, and the Europeans want clarity on how a fragile US deal with Iran is panning out before deploying their navies.

While they hope Trump strikes a conciliatory tone, European leaders have begun coming to terms with the reality that the US is inexorably pulling back from the alliance. Washington has made clear it wants allies to take the lead on the conventional defence of Europe and recently announced it was cutting back the assets it makes available to NATO commanders.

“All of this is evidence of a real shift in mindset,” Rutte said. “This is NATO 3.0. A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO”. He also called for a defence industry “revolution” across the alliance, warning over Russia’s massive military spending as well as China, North Korea and Iran. “We don’t have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it,” Rutte said. “The hum of machinery must become a roar”.

Beyond taking greater responsibility for their own defence, European countries have also taken over the support of Ukraine almost entirely as Trump has wound back US aid. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the leaders’ dinner on Tuesday, secured a commitment from his European backers at NATO to maintain at least €70 billion ($80 billion) of military aid flowing to Kyiv each year in both 2026 and 2027. Zelensky urged the alliance to take “strong decisions” on boosting Ukraine’s air defences after a devastating Russian bombardment.

Trump also used his press conference with Erdogan to reiterate that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expected allies to respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and accept that Greenland was not for sale.