NATO summit yields £3bn defence deals amid Greenland friction
A NATO summit in Ankara produced £3 billion in US defence investments and a potential licence for Ukraine to build Patriot interceptors, though renewed US demands for Greenland overshadowed the alliance's economic pledges.
NATO leaders concluded their annual summit in Ankara with a £3 billion pledge of investments involving US defence companies, centred largely on drone technology. The commitment came alongside a surprise proposal from Donald Trump to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors domestically.
A domestic Patriot production line would represent a major industrial and diplomatic victory for Kyiv, which has struggled against Moscow's missile barrages. However, the economic and logistical realities remain highly uncertain. Trump admitted he had not discussed the complex, expensive munitions with the US defence contractors that produce them, Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation. In the short term, the US will not supply Patriot interceptors from its own stockpiles to Ukraine. "We have Patriots, but we don’t have that many. We need them for ourselves too," Trump said.
The US president also indicated a willingness to purchase Ukrainian-made drones to supplement US capabilities. "We would buy their drones," Trump said, praising the country's ability to produce them rapidly in basements and shelters despite the ongoing war.
The summit's commercial momentum was undercut by Trump's renewed demand to take over Greenland, an Arctic territory holding vast strategic mineral reserves and critical shipping routes. Greenland's premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, flatly rejected the overture. "Repeated calls for the takeover or control of our country do not change this," Nielsen wrote on Facebook. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stressed that Copenhagen is prepared to defend its territory. "We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory," she said.
The Ankara gathering also exposed transatlantic political fissures over Iran. Trump publicly criticised Spain, France and the UK for a perceived lack of military support, claiming the UK offered to help only "after the war is over." "This is not in the spirit of Winston Churchill," Trump said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back, insisting relations with Washington remain "very positive" in economic and political terms despite US trade threats.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to project alliance cohesion, stating NATO emerged "stronger and more united." Trump noted that members were making progress toward a 5% defence spending target, a shift that will require significant long-term budgetary commitments from European capitals.
