Erdoğan tells the NATO summit that Türkiye would raise its defence expenditure in 10 years, and the money will come exclusively from the national budget.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Türkiye will increase its defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) during the next ten years. He also said that “we are the country closest to achieving such a level” among NATO partners.
He made the remarks during a press conference at the NATO Leaders’ Summit held in The Hague.
Erdoğan underlined that the entire increase would be covered by Türkiye’s national budget and suggested the transition would not pose major difficulties.
Erdoğan met with U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on the sidelines of the summit. A separate exchange with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was indirectly confirmed in response to a journalist’s question.
Regarding U.S.-Türkiye defence relations, Erdoğan stated that the Russian S-400 air defence system was not discussed during his meeting with Trump. “The S-400 issue is over,” he said. Erdoğan claimed that Türkiye has spent about $1.3–1.4 billion for the F-35 program and that “President Trump showed goodwill about our participation.”
When questioned about the Eurofighter Typhoon program, Erdoğan said that discussions were still continuing with both the UK and Germany and that the development was “positive.”
Author: Özgür Ekşi
