Trump says US will give Ukraine license to produce Patriot defense systems

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said astatine a NATO acme Wednesday successful Turkey that the U.S. volition springiness Ukraine a licence to marque Patriot aerial defence systems to antagonistic rocket attacks from Russia successful their much than four-year war, a immense coup for Kyiv which has agelong requested the technology.

Allowing overseas manufacture of Patriots, which the U.S. had resisted, was a turnaround for Trump that mirrored his time astatine the NATO meeting: Upon arriving, helium lashed retired astatine European partners for resisting his efforts to instrumentality power of Greenland and for not supporting his warfare successful Iran. But by day's end, helium described a gathering of unity and “tremendous love," and praised subordinate nations connected their advancement successful expanding their defence spending.

Separately, the Trump medication besides announced plans to rescind Syria's coercion designation, successful a cardinal determination toward lifting sanctions connected the country.

NATO’s European members positive Canada person scrambled to conscionable the alliance's accrued defence spending targets, which Trump has demanded arsenic the U.S. draws down troops successful Europe and insists the continent instrumentality much work for its ain security.

Trump had reopened aged wounds among the 32 NATO leaders by insisting again up of the acme that the U.S. should power Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory. That led Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to accidental her state is “ready to support each inch of NATO including our ain territory.”

Trump besides blasted immoderate European countries for refusing to enactment successful the Iran campaign, singling retired Spain arsenic “a unspeakable spouse successful NATO” and renewing his threats to chopped disconnected trade.

Trump strikes a affirmative code connected Zelenskyy

But the code of Trump’s gathering with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a interruption from earlier encounters which ended successful acrimony, and Trump praised the Ukrainian leader's willingness to scope a woody connected ending the warring successful Ukraine.

“We’ve really developed a bully relationship. It’s hard to believe,” Trump said during a quality league with Zelenskyy, adding that helium believed a woody connected ending the warfare was connected the skyline and that the U.S. would “work connected immoderate benignant of information package” to supply to Ukraine.

Trump said the Ukrainian president has “done an astonishing job” and “been precise effective” successful the warfare arsenic helium pledged to assistance Ukraine a licence to manufacture the Patriot defence systems.

“We’ll springiness them the close to marque Patriots. We’ll amusement them however to bash it,” Trump said. “I deliberation they tin nutrient them beauteous quickly.”

Patriots are expensive, successful precocious request and instrumentality a agelong clip to produce. Zelenskyy has for years been asking for much of them, and much precocious for a licence truthful that Ukraine tin manufacture its own.

NATO main backs latest US strikes connected Iran

Ahead of the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump for the bid of U.S. strikes connected Iran overnight, aft Tehran struck 3 merchant ships successful the Strait of Hormuz.

“I deliberation what you did past nighttime was perfectly necessary,” Rutte said to Trump. “It was a precise beardown response, and I’m with you connected this.”

The U.S. strikes, arsenic good arsenic the revoking of a licence allowing Iran to merchantability its lipid connected planetary markets, underscored the fragility of an interim woody to extremity months of fighting.

Trump said of the interim statement with Iran: “For me, I deliberation it’s over” — but added helium volition let talks to continue.

“It’s conscionable a discarded of clip dealing with them,” helium said.

NATO leaders sought to amusement Trump they were boosting defense

Rutte has dedicated a immense magnitude of vigor to keeping Trump's enactment for NATO and to holding the acme together. On Wednesday, helium sought to tamp down the president’s ire by giving him recognition for caller increases successful defence spending from NATO allies.

“Grab the win. It’s there,” Rutte told Trump connected Wednesday.

The NATO main pointed to countries including Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Denmark that are investing much successful defense, but noted that the Trump medication expects “the Europeans and Canadians volition equalize their spending with the United States.”

Last period Rutte went to Washington to hail the “Trump Trillion” — the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada person added to defence spending since Trump came to powerfulness successful 2017.

As leaders converged connected Ankara, Rutte hosted a “big reveal” lawsuit to showcase the galore deals planned for the accrued spending — overmuch of it to beryllium spent connected U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.

At past year's summit, the allies agreed to put 5% of their gross home merchandise connected defence — 3.5% connected their defence budgets and 1.5% connected infrastructure truthful troops and instrumentality tin determination faster successful times of conflict.

Yet figures released by NATO connected Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic person struggled to conscionable the alliance’s aged spending people of 2% of GDP.

The Trump medication wants to spot a leaner “NATO 3.0,” with Europe taking work for its ain security, including Ukraine, with accepted weapons portion America would proceed to supply its atomic umbrella.

The Pentagon has launched a six-month reappraisal of U.S. subject beingness successful Europe, leaving allies to question clarity connected conscionable however profoundly Trump intends to chopped U.S. unit numbers.

Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry

Zelenskyy made a caller entreaty Tuesday for Ukraine to beryllium allowed to articulation the alliance, saying Ukrainian equipped forces are highly experienced and would lone boost NATO’s defence capabilities. Russia is vehemently opposed to that.

Zelenskyy has highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its quality to onslaught heavy wrong Russia. He said Ukraine’s equipped forces are “eliminating” connected mean 30,000 Russian troops each month.

In a declaration pursuing Wednesday's summit, NATO leaders pledged to supply Ukraine with $80 cardinal to assistance conscionable its defence needs this twelvemonth and next, noting “the semipermanent menace Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security.”

Concern has been mounting among immoderate countries with borders adjacent Russia that Moscow mightiness beryllium preparing a hybrid onslaught — a operation of accepted warfare with tactics similar cyberattacks — connected the continent arsenic Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to unafraid triumph successful Ukraine.

Trump medication to assistance Syria's coercion designation

Trump besides met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a erstwhile insurgent who led the violative that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad successful December 2024. Despite having erstwhile been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump’s backing arsenic helium seeks to rebuild Syria and reconstruct its shattered ties with the West.

Later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said successful a connection that Trump has told U.S. lawmakers that the U.S. volition soon region Syria arsenic a authorities sponsor of coercion arsenic portion of a year-long normalization process with the country’s caller government.

“Lifting sanctions connected Syria volition unlock planetary commercialized and investment, springiness Syria a accidental to rebuild, and unfastened up a caller section for the Syrian people,” Rubio said.

In June 2025, Trump signed an enforcement bid ending a fig of economical sanctions earlier revoking the coercion designation a fewer weeks aboriginal for President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who took implicit aft the ouster of erstwhile person Bashar Assad successful December 2024.

But what inactive remains intact is simply a large acceptable of sanctions passed by Congress targeting anyone doing concern with oregon offering enactment to Syria’s military, quality oregon different fishy institutions. While the Trump medication has passed impermanent waivers connected those sanctions, known arsenic the Caesar Act, they tin lone beryllium permanently repealed by law.

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Associated Press journalists Collin Binkley and Michelle L. Price successful Washington contributed.

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