NATO Summit Opens with Trump's 5% Demand and F-35 Pivot to Turkey

In Ankara, Trump pushes allies to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and signals a return of Turkey to the F-35 program.

NATO Summit Opens with Trump's 5% Demand and F-35 Pivot to Turkey — US President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara for the NATO summit and held a press conference with Turkish leader Erdogan. Trump demanded NATO members raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with 3.5% for direct military needs. He summed up the European response in one word: 'ridiculous.' Trump also said Turkey could have chosen the other side but didn't, adding, 'Perhaps they didn't because of me.'[^1] The summit has revived the question of Turkey's return to the F-35 program, from which it was expelled in 2019 after purchasing the Russian S-400 system. Trump is considering the move, but it is expected to face congressional opposition and raises concerns in Israel. Senator Lindsey Graham admitted that Turkey-Israel relations are delaying the delivery of F-35s to Erdogan.[^2] Meanwhile, a separate report noted that Canada is making a surprising move with Turkey, while Israel watches.[^3] The 5% demand is a dramatic escalation from the current 2% guideline. Trump's blunt language and the F-35 issue signal a tense summit ahead. The question now is whether European allies will accept the new target and how the F-35 deal with Turkey will be reconciled with Israeli security interests. IDF eliminates two Hamas commanders; Turkish warship disrupts naval drill — On July 5 and July 6, the IDF and Shin Bet eliminated two senior Hamas commanders: Ahmad Yahya Ibrahim Batash, commander of the elite Nukhba unit, in the northern Gaza Strip, and Hamouda Abu-Daq, commander of Hamas military intelligence, in the south.[^1] The operations underscore Israel's continued targeted killings even as ceasefire talks stall. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a Turkish warship approached the area of IDF Navy exercises in the Mediterranean, forcing Israeli vessels to change course—a rare naval confrontation that adds a new dimension to the bilateral tensions.[^2] In southern Lebanon, troops from Brigade 769, operating under Division 91, discovered Hezbollah weapons depots in the village of Talousa, including explosives, rockets, and RPGs stored in a bedroom.[^3] The find highlights the porous nature of the ceasefire