'Want to remain with you': Trump's Nato U-turn as chief backs US strikes on Iran

After months of repeatedly questioning Nato’s future and threatening to pull the United States out of the alliance, President Donald Trump on Wednesday reassured fellow leaders that he wanted to remain part of the bloc. His remarks came as Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte defended recent US military strikes on Iran, calling them ‘absolutely necessary’ after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.Additionally, Trump struck a conciliatory tone after the summit, telling reporters there was “a lot of love” and “a lot of unity” among Nato leaders. He said that the meeting was ‘great’. “It was a great meeting, there was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity,” Trump said while meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Ankara summit.Trump told leaders inside the closed-door meeting, “We want to remain with you.”According to Reuters, a source familiar with the closed-door discussions said Trump also told allies that the United States was prepared to continue selling weapons to Nato members, “no matter how they were put to use.”The White House did not immediately comment on Trump’s reported remarks. Later, in the summit declaration, Nato leaders, including Trump, reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under the alliance’s article 5, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.European allies and Canada also said they were assuming greater responsibility for Nato’s defence, while announcing more than $50 billion in new defence procurements. The declaration further pledged €70 billion ($80 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026 and “at least equivalent levels” of support in 2027.During the summit, Nato chief backed US strikes on Iran and said, “I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire, Iran is basically violating the ceasefire. We’ve seen what happened yesterday with ships being attacked. I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react.”

Shift in tone

Trump’s remarks marked a notable change in tone after months of public criticism of the allies over their refusal to back the Iran war and repeated suggestions that the United States could leave the alliance.In April, Trump said he was ‘absolutely’ considering withdrawing the United States from Nato, citing frustration with European allies. Asked whether he was thinking about pulling the US out of the alliance, Trump replied: “Oh, absolutely without question. Wouldn’t you do that if you were me?”He also said, “I’ll be discussing my disgust with NATO.”His comments followed repeated complaints that European allies were not contributing enough to collective defence and came hours after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to explicitly reaffirm Washington’s commitment to Nato’s article 5 principle.According to the Reuters, Trump did not repeat his criticism of Spain during the closed-door meeting, nor did he raise Greenland or his earlier announcement declaring the interim Iran ceasefire arrangement “over”, issues that had dominated headlines ahead of the summit.