Donald Trump’s visit to Turkey for the NATO summit gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a conspicuous diplomatic win as Ankara staged a red-white-and-blue air show and even named a new airport building after the US president.

Erdogan greeted Trump at the airport on Tuesday, and the two leaders later walked arm-in-arm in a display of warmth that came as Trump also used the summit to lash out at other allies in the defence bloc.

Trump was the first US president to visit Turkey since Barack Obama, underscoring the symbolic value Ankara attached to the trip.

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Trump’s warm embrace, Turkey’s strategic prize

The central diplomatic gain for Erdogan was Trump’s willingness to talk about lifting sanctions imposed after Turkey bought Russian S-400 air defence systems in 2019.

At an earlier meeting with reporters present, Trump drew a thumbs-up from Erdogan when he said he would lift the sanctions and signalled openness to selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, though he later said he had not fully decided.

Erdogan repeatedly praised Trump as a “dear friend”, while Trump said he attended the summit because Erdogan was hosting it. That helped Turkey project itself as a more influential player inside NATO and as a country capable of mending a long-strained relationship with Washington.

Friendly optics, formidable obstacles

The warmth, however, sat alongside clear geopolitical limits. Trump’s promise to remove sanctions would likely face resistance in the US Congress, where laws require Turkey not to possess the S-400 system. The move could create complications for Ankara with Moscow because of end-user obligations tied to the purchase.

Trump’s comments came after a US court concluded a long-running criminal case against Turkish state lender Halkbank, a case Erdogan had called unjust.

On the NATO stage, Trump also unsettled allies by demanding the US cut trade ties with Spain and by repeating claims on Greenland, even as he later spoke of “love” and “a lot of unity” at the leaders’ meeting.

A grand spectacle with political undertones

The visit may also have carried domestic political value for Erdogan, whose popularity has been tested by an extensive legal crackdown on the main opposition party.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said democracy means the right to demonstrate and freedom for the media, not just free elections, when asked about arrests before the summit, including of journalists and a comedian.

Western criticism of Turkey’s rights record has softened as the country has become a key defence-industrial power and a bulwark on NATO’s southeastern flank.

Trump’s arrival at the 1,100-room presidential palace was staged with horsemen, ceremonial guards and Ottoman-themed soldiers, while Turkish jets flew overhead, turning the summit into a carefully choreographed show of force and political symbolism.

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FAQs

Q1: Why was Donald Trump’s visit to Turkey significant?

Trump’s visit signalled a possible reset in U.S.-Turkey ties, including discussions on sanctions relief and defence cooperation.

Q2: Why are U.S. sanctions on Turkey a key issue?

The sanctions were imposed after Turkey acquired Russia’s S-400 air defence system, a move that strained relations with Washington and NATO.