ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — President Donald Trump surprised NATO leaders he is meeting with in Turkey by launching a series of strikes on Iran late Tuesday and revoking a license that allowed Tehran to sell its oil on the world market, a major twist for a summit that had been aimed at showcasing how alliance members were stepping up spending on defense and focusing on support for Ukraine’s war with Russia.

The strikes were retaliation after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, and underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting between the two countries. Trump launched the attacks shortly after leaving a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan where the leaders of the alliance’s 32 member countries had gathered ahead of Wednesday’s talks meant to focus on progress made toward meeting NATO’s spending targets.

Trump did not directly address the strikes Tuesday night. It is rare for U.S. presidents to launch military action while outside the U.S., though in 2011 former President Barack Obama authorized strikes in Libya while on a trip to Brazil.

European allies and Canada had been wary that Trump might raise fresh grievances over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which they were never consulted about. Trump had demanded “loyalty” and branded NATO a “paper tiger” after some allies refused to grant open access to their bases for U.S. forces to attack Iran.

On Tuesday, during a meeting with Erdogan, Trump said he had been testing NATO allies when he asked for their help with the Iran war. “Italy turned us down and Germany turned us down and France turned us down,” Trump said. “And that’s OK. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us?”

NATO leaders had been trying to show Trump how they were boosting defense

NATO summits are designed to be a show of unity aimed at deterring any potential adversary — a resolve more important than ever as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, and concerns mount that other European countries could be targeted.

In an attempt last month to mollify the U.S. leader, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte went to Washington to hail the “Trump Trillion” — the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to defense spending since Trump came to power in 2017.

As leaders converged on Ankara, Rutte hosted a “big reveal” event to showcase the many deals planned for that money — much of it to be spent on U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.

NATO diplomats and officials had hoped that Trump would take the win, but judging by some of his remarks since arriving in Turkey, they are in for yet another dressing down.

Trump reopened old wounds over Greenland on the eve of the meeting by insisting that the United States should control the semiautonomous island rather than NATO ally Denmark. NATO is founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each others’ territory, not threaten to seize it.

NATO braces for Trump’s grievances

Trump has long argued that the U.S. carries more than its fair share of the defense burden for NATO. At last year’s summit, the allies had agreed to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense — 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.

Rutte had demanded ahead of this year’s meeting that members put forward “clear, concrete and credible plans” to reach the organization’s defense spending targets.

New figures released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic could be in hot water with the Trump administration as they struggle to meet the alliance’s old target of investing 2% of their GDP.

The Trump administration wants to see a more lean and lethal “NATO 3.0,” with Europe taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, with conventional weapons while America would continue to provide its nuclear umbrella.

However, European allies and Canada are still seeking clarity on just how deeply Trump intends to cut U.S. force numbers in Europe.

The Pentagon has launched a 6-month review of that presence and the drawdowns could depend on how fast the European allies increase defense spending and whether they are prepared to allow greater use of their bases.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal Tuesday for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost NATO’s defense capabilities.

Zelenskyy, who is expected to meet with Trump in Ankara on Wednesday, highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit Moscow’s oil refineries and other energy targets. He said Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.

Concern has been mounting among some northern, central and eastern European countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack — a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks — on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.

Trump will also meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former insurgent who led the offensive that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad in December 2024. Despite having once been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump’s backing as he seeks to rebuild Syria and restore its long-shattered ties with the West.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that al-Sharaa would do a better job of rooting out Hezbollah in Lebanon than the Israeli army, raising alarms in Lebanon and Israel alike. The Syrian leader has said he has no interest in doing so.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — NATO leaders gather in Turkey for a two-day summit at a pivotal moment for the alliance as the Trump administration calls for a “NATO 3.0″ and urges Europe to take on a greater security role. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — NATO on Tuesday will showcase a series of new military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that the allies are stepping up defense spending and converting investment into real firepower.

At an event dubbed the “big reveal,” several leaders are due to announce new deals with defense companies, plenty of them in the United States. Trump has branded NATO a “paper tiger” that would cease to function without American arms and leadership.

“We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters on the eve of the military alliance’s two-day summit in Turkey.

The defense industry splash comes a few weeks after Rutte tried to ease U.S. concerns about military spending at NATO with a new pitch using a chart labeled the “The Trump Trillion” — showing $1.2 trillion in spending by European allies and Canada since 2017.

Far from being impressed, Trump appeared unmoved, saying he was still disappointed at some NATO allies’ refusal to join the Iran war, which he had launched alongside Israel without consulting them.

“We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything,” Trump said. “I just want loyalty.”

NATO surveillance planes up for renewal

Among the contracts to be unveiled, many of them drawn up and some signed long before the summit, is expected to be one to replace NATO’s aging fleet of surveillance planes.

NATO as an organization does not own any weaponry — these are the property of the 32 member countries — but it does have a fleet of AWACs aircraft that are about 50 years old and some newer surveillance drones.

Some of the other projects will notably be paid for with funds from a system of cheap loans for defense purposes set up by the European Union, comprising up to $170 billion raised on capital markets.

“We need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defense plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors,” Rutte said.

The summit is being held in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sprawling palace compound in Ankara and Trump has suggested he would come bearing gifts for the Turkish leader.

Netanyahu opposes jet sales to Turkey

But speaking Monday on the morning show “Fox & Friends,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the U.S. not to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, saying that Erdogan “calls openly for the annihilation of Israel.” Turkey and Israel have acrimonious relations. Erdogan frequently accuses Israel of committing genocide in its war in Gaza, triggered by the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

Turkey was barred from the F-35 program in 2019, after it purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. However, Trump, who has warm relations with Erdogan, has hinted ahead of his planned visit to Ankara for the NATO summit that the sales could soon resume.

Netanyahu said selling Turkey F-35s would “upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East.”

Israel’s Air Force depends on hundreds of U.S. fighter jets, including F-35s, F-16s and F-15s.

Seeking a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO

The focus of the summit is a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO. The Trump administration has warned the allies that they must handle Europe’s security alone as the United States focuses on China and the Indo-Pacific region.

The Pentagon wants a reboot and is promoting what it calls “NATO 3.0,” a vision of the alliance in which Europe assumes greater responsibility for its own defense, freeing the U.S. to concentrate on other priorities.

But hiking defense spending means increasing taxes or diverting resources from other priorities. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly quit last month, saying the government was not willing to spend at a time of rising threats.

Concern is mounting among some northern and central eastern countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack — a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks — on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.

Keir Starmer’s office said the British leader will be “focused on building a stronger and more European NATO” on what is likely to be his last foreign trip as prime minister.

Starmer, who announced his resignation June 22, has faced criticism from military leaders, opposition politicians and some in his center-left party for the slow rate of increase in U.K. military spending.

His government has committed to reach the NATO budget target of spending 3.5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035 but does not have a concrete plan to get there. Its current spending plan will see that spending hit 2.7% of GDP by 2029.

___

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are gathering in Turkey on Tuesday for a two-day summit that comes at a turning point in the organization’s history as the United States steps back from its traditional security role in Europe.

Ahead of the meeting in Ankara, Trump has insisted on “loyalty” after some NATO countries balked at allowing U.S. forces to use their bases for attacks on Iran. He listed big European members Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain for criticism.

A NATO summit is a highly symbolic moment when the 32 member countries of the world’s biggest military alliance underline their unshakeable commitment to each other’s security. This year, though, the trans-Atlantic bond has rarely seemed more fragile.

Still, the meeting is being organized around the theme of a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. The Trump administration has called for a reboot to a “NATO 3.0,” and it’s hoped that what this really means will become clearer over the next two days.

A presidential compound for a venue

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hosting the summit at his vast Bestepe Presidential Compound on the western edge of the Turkish capital, Ankara. A new airport, converted from an old military airfield, has been unveiled especially to host NATO leaders.

Security will be high. Air defenses are on alert, and tens of thousands of police will be on duty. Nearby neighborhoods are closed to traffic and some state workers have been given time off to help keep roads unclogged. Public gatherings are banned.

More than a dozen people were detained in security sweeps ahead of the summit, including two journalists, the Turkish Journalists Association said.

On Tuesday evening, Erdogan will host a dinner in his “Winter Garden.” Top officials from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will join their NATO partners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend.

At they dinner, foreign ministers will hold a NATO Ukraine Council, while the alliance’s defense ministers will meet with their Indo-Pacific counterparts. A separate meeting with officials from Gulf Arab countries will also take place, and Trump will meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

NATO leaders alone will hold a single working session on Wednesday morning. They’ll publish a short statement summarizing the results of their meeting once it’s over.

Defense spending, an industry boost and Ukraine support

Officially topping the agenda is defense spending — a perennial issue at NATO as the U.S. presses allies to do more. Ahead of the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte noted a 20% annual spending hike by European allies and Canada in 2025.

This is unlikely to be enough to satisfy the Trump administration, even after the leaders agreed at their last summit to boost investment to the same level as the United States, in gross domestic product terms. The 2026 U.S. military budget is set at $901 billion, or about 3.3% of GDP.

NATO also wants to highlight the way it’s converting the billions pouring in from state coffers into new military kit that’s adapted to modern warfare. The summit will be a chance for the organization to showcase new military projects.

A defense industry forum will be held on the sidelines of the meeting, on Tuesday, bringing senior NATO and partner officials together with industry leaders, as allies push to ramp up weapons production and spur innovation in new technologies.

Another top agenda item is continued support to Ukraine, now in a fifth year of full-scale war with Russia. European allies and Canada are funding most of Ukraine’s needs, including paying for about 90% of the country’s air defenses.

US force cuts in Europe, and the war on Iran

The working session is only expected to last about three hours, but most debate is likely to focus on U.S. force levels in Europe and the off-agenda item of fallout from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

European allies and Canada will want reassurances, or at least clarity, on U.S. force intentions. Since early last year, they have often been blindsided — and sometimes confounded — by Trump’s declarations on cutting troop numbers.

Ahead of the summit, the Pentagon surprised the allies by announcing a 6-month review of the U.S. presence. It’s focused on progress Europe makes to defend itself, but also on whether the U.S. has full base access and overflight.

NATO played no active role in the Iran war and has no overarching agreement with the United States on the shared use of bases and airspace, although some of its members do.

At a public meeting with Rutte on June 24, Trump renewed his criticism of the allies for their reluctance to get involved in the war. “We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything,” he said. “I just want loyalty.”

On joining NATO, member countries pledge loyalty equally to each other through a commitment to collective security — the all-for-one, one-for-all pledge enshrined in Article 5 of NATO’s treaty. That guarantee alone underpins everything the organization stands for and does.

What further loyalty Trump might require is unclear.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors are seeking leniency at next-week’s sentencing of a Turkish-Iranian businessman who admitted to helping Iranians and their government evade sanctions and who provided key testimony at a 2017 corruption trial that strained relations between the U.S. and Turkey.

The prosecutors said Monday in a sentencing memorandum to a New York federal judge that international gold trader Reza Zarrab provided substantial help to the U.S. when he revealed paying millions of dollars in bribes to government and banking officials in Turkey and provided key testimony at the December 2017 trial.

His testimony preceded the conviction of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla and a sentence of over two years in prison for the banker. After the trial, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the verdict “scandalous.”

In a presentence memorandum, prosecutors wrote that Zarrab’s October 2017 guilty plea to conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering charges and the cooperation that followed had been “truthful, complete and reliable” and significant, useful and timely. They also noted that he had suffered “danger or risk” as a result of his help.

During a week on the witness stand at the 2017 trial, Zarrab said he was attacked in prison by a knife-wielding fellow inmate who claimed he was told to kill him for cooperating with U.S. authorities.

In their memorandum Monday, prosecutors referenced the threat, which resulted in Zarrab being moved from prison and into FBI custody.

According to prosecutors, the inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn who threatened Zarrab told him that he would be killed because he was cooperating against “big people in Turkey.”

Prosecutors also said that the government of Turkey imposed broad freezes and seizures of Zarrab’s assets after he began cooperating.

The lengthy delay for Zarrab’s sentencing is not uncommon in a complex prosecution that carried the potential for multiple trials in which Zarrab’s testimony might be necessary.

Last month, Judge Richard M. Berman in Manhattan approved the dismissal of a criminal case the U.S. government had brought against Halkbank, a state-owned bank in Turkey. The U.S. government’s request to drop the charges came amid warm ties between Erdogan and President Donald Trump.

After meeting with Trump last year at the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdogan told reporters that the U.S. president is quick to return his calls, an anecdote that signaled their close ties.

“With my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new era in Turkish‑American relations,” said Erdogan, who has been president of Turkey for 13 years.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday demanded that members put forward “clear, concrete and credible plans” to reach the organization’s defense spending targets at its annual summit in Ankara.

Rutte spoke in the Turkish capital ahead of the two-day summit starting on Tuesday at a crucial time for the alliance, with the United States scaling down its security role in Europe. Washington has been pressing allies to shoulder more of the spending burden.

The 32 nations agreed last year to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense — 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.

Spain endorsed the goal but said it could fulfill NATO’s security requirements without spending so much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the alliance’s old target of 2% of GDP.

Asked what would happen to members that don’t have a clear plan, Rutte said: “If one or two of them still have to be convinced, we have ways to do that.” He did not elaborate.

Trump has called for ‘loyalty’ from NATO allies

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker suggested last week that the U.S. has something in store for those who do not step up, but declined to say more.

“President (Donald) Trump fully expects that all allies will step up immediately and get on the path to 5% and do it with urgency,” Whitaker said.

On spending among European allies and Canada, Rutte said that “the evidence we see so far is impressive.” He said NATO estimates that they will invest a combined $258 billion more in defense in 2025 and this year than they have in previous years.

But the numbers might not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly lashed U.S. allies over defense spending, and in the past threatened not to come to the defense of any member not doing enough — challenging NATO’s key reason for existence.

Trump also has called for “loyalty” from NATO allies, after some of them declined to allow the use of their military bases in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. As well as airing grievances about how much the U.S. spends on defense compared with other countries, Trump has sparred with allies over the war, his comments about annexing Greenland and other tiffs.

The Trump administration is promoting what it calls “NATO 3.0,” a vision in which Europe assumes greater responsibility for its own defense, freeing the U.S. to concentrate on other priorities. The approach was laid out earlier this year by Elbridge Colby, a U.S. undersecretary of defense, during a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

“We need our allies in NATO to step up and assume leadership roles, and I mean that not only in sort of loud cheerleading but also the moral authority and the moral compass of the alliance,” Whitaker said last week.

European allies warn about a possible Russia attack

Some European governments have warned that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack somewhere on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.

NATO on Tuesday is due to make announcements showcasing the military equipment being bought with billions of dollars more being spent on defense and security. The event has been dubbed the “big reveal.”

Among the projects, many of them prepared and signed long before the summit, is one to replace NATO’s aging fleet of surveillance planes.

NATO as an organization does not own any weaponry — these are the property of member countries — but it has a fleet of AWACS aircraft that are about 50 years old and some surveillance drones.

In a report released on Monday, the European Stability Mechanism — a financial institution set up to help countries using the euro currency in severe financial distress — said NATO’s defense spending target is achievable but must be handled carefully.

It warned that Europe’s defense buildup, which largely will use debt financing in the short term, is turning into “one of the central fiscal policy questions of this decade.”

NATO governments are struggling to hike their defense spending, which requires increasing taxes or reshuffling resources from other priorities.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly quit last month because he said the government was not willing to spend at a time of rising threats.