{"id":1515,"date":"2026-07-07T09:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2026-07-07T09:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:37:09","slug":"nato-unveils-billions-in-arms-deals-to-prove-its-firepower-to-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1515","title":{"rendered":"NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 NATO on Tuesday showcased a series of military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to convince President Donald Trump<\/span> that U.S. allies are converting fresh defense spending<\/span> into real firepower.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s money well spent,\u201d an energized NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told government ministers and defense industry officials on the sidelines of a summit in Turkey. He was speaking at a defense industry forum billed as NATO\u2019s \u201cbig reveal,\u201d to the thrum of techno music and a slick video display.<\/p>\n

Trump, who is slated to arrive in Ankara later Tuesday, has branded NATO a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d<\/span> that would cease to function without American arms and leadership. <\/p>\n

NATO as an organization does not own any weapons \u2014 these are the property of the 32 member countries \u2014 but it does have a fleet of 14 AWACS early warning radar surveillance planes that are about 50 years old, along with some newer surveillance drones.<\/p>\n

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A deal to replace the aging planes was announced Tuesday. Swedish manufacturer Saab will be supplying up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for a 10-nation consortium, Sweden\u2019s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a moment of great pride,\u201d he said, noting that the twin-engine aircraft would be \u201cmade within the alliance for all the alliance.\u201d <\/p>\n

Some of the projects will be paid for with funds from a system of cheap loans<\/span> for defense purposes set up by the European Union, comprising up to $170 billion raised on capital markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defense plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n

Defense sales announced<\/h2>\n

Representatives from 15 nations shook hands and patted shoulders on a vast podium under the NATO logo as they announced a multinational effort to buy air-to-air refueling and transport planes from Airbus.<\/p>\n

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Then Rutte announced a four-country effort to purchase as many as five new Triton surveillance drones to add to NATO\u2019s small fleet. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is genuinely made in NATO, and creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Rutte told reporters on the eve of the military alliance\u2019s two-day summit in Turkey<\/span> that \u201cwe will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, at Tuesday\u2019s event, no dollar figures were given and the display included some projects long since agreed. <\/p>\n

The defense industry splash comes a few weeks after Rutte tried to ease U.S. concerns about military spending at NATO with a new pitch<\/span> using a chart labeled the \u201cThe Trump Trillion\u201d \u2014 showing $1.2 trillion in spending by European allies and Canada since 2017.<\/p>\n

Far from being impressed, Trump appeared unmoved, saying he was still disappointed at some NATO allies\u2019 refusal to join the Iran war<\/span>, which he had launched alongside Israel without consulting them.<\/p>\n

Read more Marine Le Pen\u2019s 2027 bid for French presidency is at stake in Paris court ruling<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need their money \u2014 we don\u2019t need anything,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI just want loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

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