Trump bets on former NATO troublemaker as Turkey's strategic value surges

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker discusses the upcoming NATO Summit in Turkey and the Trump administration's approval of a $700 million arms sale to the country. President Donald Trump says he's attending the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, for one reason: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "I'm going because of Erdoğan," Trump told reporters June 24, calling the Turkish leader "a friend" and "a respected leader" while signaling that closer defense cooperation between Washington and Ankara could be on the horizon. The summit will begin Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey. The remarks underscore a striking shift in the relationship between Washington and Turkey. Just a few years ago, after Turkey took delivery of Russia's S-400 air defense system in 2019, Washington expelled it from the multinational F-35 fighter program and, the following year, imp