At a NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump threatened to pull American troops from Europe, demanded control of Greenland, and criticised allies—raising fresh questions about the alliance's future. The 2026 NATO summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, was meant to showcase unity. However, Trump's arrival immediately disrupted the agenda. He renewed his call to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and suggested the US might withdraw forces from European bases. He also criticised European countries for immigration and energy policies, claiming 'you're not going to have a Europe anymore'.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is a military alliance of 32 countries including the UK, US, and Turkey. It was founded in 1949 to counter Soviet threats and operates on the principle of collective defence: an attack on one member is an attack on all. Trump has long been sceptical of NATO, accusing allies of not spending enough on defence. In previous summits, he clashed over burden-sharing and Greenland. Denmark's prime minister has said that if the US were to take Greenland by force, it would 'spell the end for the alliance'.
“Donald Trump's threats to pull troops from Europe and demand Greenland risk NATO unity—explained for UK readers.”
For UK readers, the stakes are high. The UK is a key NATO member and hosts US troops at bases like RAF Lakenheath. Any US troop withdrawal would weaken Europe's defence posture. Moreover, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer granted Trump permission to launch airstrikes from British bases during the Iran conflict earlier this year, yet Trump still singled out the UK for criticism. The British delegation has been promoting defence collaboration with European partners, but Starmer's Defence Investment Plan is billions of pounds short. The summit also saw major contracts awarded to Airbus for transport aircraft and Sweden's GlobeEye planes to replace NATO's ageing AWACS fleet.
Q: Why does Donald Trump want Greenland? Trump claims Greenland is strategically important because it is 'surrounded by China ships and Russian ships' and that Denmark doesn't spend enough to help the territory. He has repeatedly suggested the US should control it.
Q: Could the US really pull troops out of Europe? Trump threatened to pull US troops from bases across Europe, citing European immigration and energy policies. He stated, 'You're not going to have a Europe anymore' if those issues aren't addressed. However, such a move would require formal NATO processes and could face opposition from Congress.
Q: How is the UK involved in the NATO summit? UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended his final NATO summit, promoting defence collaboration with European partners. He allowed US airstrikes from British bases against Iran, but Trump criticised his help as insufficient. The UK's Defence Investment Plan has been criticised for being billions short.
The summit continues with discussions on rearming Europe. NATO delegates have announced agreements for new transport aircraft and early warning planes. Trump's future demands and potential troop redeployments remain uncertain. The UK must navigate its role between the US and European allies as defence budgets face scrutiny.