U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Ankara, the Turkish capital, to attend the 36th NATO Summit.

According to international media reports, Trump’s aircraft landed in Ankara, where he was personally welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

A bilateral meeting between Trump and Erdoğan is scheduled on the sidelines of the summit.

Trump is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with other leaders and participate in the NATO leaders’ working sessions.

The situation in the South Caucasus will be among the main topics to be discussed during the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz made the remarks in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency APA.

According to Yilmaz, developments in the South Caucasus are among the issues on the agenda of the two leaders’ meeting.

“The South Caucasus is of great importance. The existing issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan have largely been overcome. We are now very close to signing a peace agreement,” Yilmaz said.

The Turkish vice president also said that one of the key agenda items would be the TRIPP project, while using the term “Zangezur corridor,” which is rejected by the Armenian side. He said opening the transport route would strengthen links between Türkiye and Central Asia and contribute to the development of the Middle Corridor.

“We all want this transport route stretching from China to Europe to become even stronger,” he said.

Yilmaz added that Türkiye is making active efforts both to help establish lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to achieve the full normalisation of relations between Türkiye and Armenia. 

“We have similar approaches with the United States on this issue. Therefore, it is natural that the South Caucasus will be discussed during the meeting between Erdogan and Trump,” the Turkish vice president said. 

It was reported earlier that the U.S. and Turkish presidents would hold a bilateral meeting in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The U.S. president has already arrived in Ankara to attend the summit. 

TRIPP is a joint Armenian-U.S. project. Armenia and the United States signed a framework agreement on the project on June 4.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Washington will consider the possibility of selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye. Turkish media reported the remarks.

During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Trump said relations between the United States and Türkiye are now better than they were before.

“Why not? Our relations are better now than they were before. We will discuss that issue,” the U.S. president said when asked about the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.

Trump also said that Türkiye had significantly strengthened its military capabilities under Erdogan’s leadership. “Türkiye is a more committed ally than many other countries. We will discuss trade relations, military cooperation and other issues with Türkiye.

I have great respect for President Erdogan,” he said. Erdogan, for his part, said the issue of the F-35 fighter jets was not new and had been discussed with the United States before.

 “We were promised the delivery of five aircraft. President Trump has also made a separate commitment on this issue. I believe that the previous promise regarding the F-35s will receive positive confirmation during the leaders’ summit meetings,” the Turkish president said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed optimism that Russia and Ukraine will reach an agreement to end the conflict.

Speaking to reporters during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Trump said he believes both sides want to reach a settlement, NBC News reported.

“I think they both want to make a deal,” he said. The U.S. president recalled that he had held positive conversations in recent days with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“They both want to solve it…. That’s what I do in my life — I make deals, and I think they’ll work it out. I hope soon,” Trump said.

He also once again expressed disappointment with his NATO allies. “If it weren’t being held in Türkiye, where my friend [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] is a very strong leader, a very strong person, I might not have attended,” Trump said of the NATO summit. Trump again complained that NATO had not supported the United States during its operations against Iran.

“We were not treated well because we did something in Iran. We don’t need anybody’s help. I didn’t even want help…. They said they wouldn’t stand with us, and we’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect the European countries and other countries, Canada and others,” the U.S. president said. The NATO summit is being held in Ankara on July 7-8.

NATO must become more European in order to reduce its long-standing dependence on the U.S. security umbrella.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made the remarks during the alliance’s annual summit in Ankara. “We both know how important close cooperation between the European Union and NATO is,” the European Commission president said. 

Responding to von der Leyen’s remarks, Rutte highlighted the clear division of responsibilities between the two organisations. He said NATO is responsible for command structures, capabilities and standards, while the European Union focuses on industry, investment and regulation. Twenty-three of the EU’s 27 member states are also members of NATO.

 “We cannot continue as we have in the past, relying too heavily on the United States. We need a much stronger Europe within a stronger NATO,” Rutte said, describing the current situation as an unprecedented transformation driven by close cooperation between the European Union and NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s achievements in its war against Russia, particularly in the field of drone production, and called for his country to become a member of NATO during his address at the Defence Industry Forum held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. BBC Russian reported the remarks.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s air defence systems intercept more than 90% of Shahed drones, which he described as the best result in the world.

 “Do you really think that a country with such defence capabilities should remain outside the Alliance?” Zelenskyy asked the audience, which included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“Ukraine’s membership in NATO is a source of exceptional defence capabilities,” the Ukrainian president added.

He said NATO, together with Ukraine, represents the alliance of the future.

Zelenskyy also referred to Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia, saying they had reached as far as Omsk. According to him, the strike on an oil refinery in Siberia was not an exception but a reality. He added that there is no major oil refinery left in Russia that has not come under attack by the Ukrainian armed forces.

He also referred to the “Drone Deal,” under which Ukraine’s partners — EU and NATO member states, as well as Azerbaijan and Gulf countries — could receive Ukrainian-made drones. At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia still retains one major advantage: ballistic missiles.

“As long as this war continues, please help us with air defence missiles. That is our priority. We can do the rest ourselves,” he said.

According to Zelenskyy, Europe must build a strong defence against Russian missiles and develop its own air defence systems capable of being produced on a large scale to protect against Russian strikes.

Norway will allocate 3 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately $306 million) to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, particularly its protection against ballistic missiles. BBC reported the announcement.

“Ukraine’s fight for self-defence is also our fight. Ukraine faces daily attacks from Russia. Russia continues to strike civilians, Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure.

 Although Ukraine is successfully intercepting most drones and cruise missiles, it needs to strengthen its defence against ballistic missiles. This is one of Ukraine’s most urgent priorities,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.

According to a statement by the Norwegian government, the new missiles for the Patriot air defence system will be ordered directly from the U.S. manufacturer.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iranians are not afraid of threats and that negotiations with the United States on a final deal will not take place if such threats continue.

Araghchi made the remarks in a post on X.

“Millions of proud Iranians rallied in unity to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither they nor our brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats,” Araghchi wrote.

“Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue. Honor your signature,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

On July 6, speaking to reporters at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Tehran, saying Washington was prepared to completely destroy Iran’s infrastructure within a very short period if no diplomatic agreement was reached.

“We’re going to win either way. We’re going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job. And finishing the job won’t be hard. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people. We can destroy their bridges in one hour. We can disrupt their energy supply, we can destroy their power plants. I can say that in a small part of an afternoon, all the plants would be gone. And they know it,” Trump said in a video shared by Fox News.

The body of Anastasia Berezovskaya, a woman suspected of involvement in the attempted bombing targeting Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolayev in Monaco, was found near Kyiv on July 6, according to law enforcement sources cited by the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

The sources said two suspects have already been detained in connection with the case. One is an active officer of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), while the other is a former law enforcement officer.

An explosion in Monaco on June 29 at around 9:00 p.m. injured three people, two of whom sustained serious injuries. According to media reports, the apparent targets were Yermolayev and members of his family.

According to the latest information from Monaco, investigators have ruled out terrorism as a motive. The Monaco Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation into attempted murder and the placement of an explosive device in a public place.

On July 3, Interpol issued a Red Notice for 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen Anastasia Berezovskaya.

According to Monaco’s law enforcement authorities, she was suspected of planting the explosive device. Investigators identified her using surveillance footage and witness testimony.

Yermolayev is a businessman from Dnipro, the founder of the Alef industrial and commercial corporation, and one of the city’s largest property developers.

He was previously included several times in Forbes Ukraine’s list of the country’s 100 richest people. In 2019, he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and obtained a Cypriot passport. He is currently under sanctions in Ukraine.

Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will resume in Rome next week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on July 7. Arab News reported that Sa’ar made the announcement.

“Less than two weeks ago, Israel, Lebanon and the United States reached a historic framework agreement. Those negotiations are expected to continue next week in Rome, Italy,” Sa’ar said during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

He added that Israel seeks peace with its neighbours and that peace must be based on security. Sa’ar also stressed that Israel has no territorial claims against Lebanon. Israel, Lebanon and the United States signed a trilateral framework agreement in Washington on June 26 aimed at ending hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

Under the agreement, Israeli forces will remain in the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

The Lebanese Armed Forces are to restore control over the entire country and disarm all non-state armed groups through a gradual process. The Lebanese army will first establish full control over agreed pilot areas, after which Israeli forces will withdraw from those areas in phases. 

Israel has stressed that it has no territorial claims against Lebanon and that its actions are a response to the threat posed by Hezbollah. The parties have also stated their intention to end the conflict between them, ensure the sovereignty and security of both countries, and establish peaceful, good-neighbourly relations.