NATO reveals what changed Trump's stance on Ukraine at Ankara summit, FT says

What Trump said about Ukraine

According to the FT, the most unexpected moment of the summit was the US President's warm remarks about Ukraine during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The comments stood in sharp contrast to the leaders' heated meeting at the White House in February 2025, when Trump accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful.

"It’s hard to believe, correct, from the Oval Office to now . . . I think we’ve developed a very good relationship," Trump said.

The US President also spoke separately about Ukraine's prospects.

"This is going to be the beginning . . . And you know, the country has a lot of future," Trump added

Patriot production license

The United States is set to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles. The Financial Times describes this as a "crucial new defense" as Russia escalates its bombardment of Ukraine.

"That’s pretty cool," the US President said of the decision.

Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, weighed in on the significance of this step.

"Russia’s remaining serious threat of ballistic missiles could be, with time, neutralised if Patriot licences will be given to Ukraine. Trump might make this move to change Putin’s calculus that he can endlessly destroy Ukraine and compel him to stop the war. It is Ukraine’s access to the US military capabilities at scale that really scares Russia," she said.

Why Trump changed his tone

One NATO diplomat explained Trump’s shift in rhetoric in a conversation with the Financial Times.

"It’s relatively simple. Trump likes winners. And Ukraine, recently, has started winning," he said.

According to Lutsevych, the US President was provided with fresh updates on the progress of the war.

"Trump has been briefed that Ukraine is seizing the initiative in the war at the moment. It looks to him like Putin has rejected a good deal and is now in trouble due to Ukraine’s upper hand in mid- and long-range drone technology," she said.

What this means for Putin

Trump told reporters that he planned to speak with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening. According to the US President, the Russian leader's conditions for ending the war are "changing."

"I think they’re probably getting a little bit better toward some of the things that you like. We have a lot of pressure on President Putin. I don’t think he likes what’s going on... I don’t think he’s thrilled with what’s happening," he said.

European leaders' reaction

Officials familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times that Trump had clearly stated his intention to strengthen US support for Ukraine and was weighing additional steps to assist Kyiv on the battlefield.

"He was decent and serious inside the room," one of the officials said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed satisfaction with the leaders' mood following the talks.

"I was very happy about US President Trump saying there is a 'feeling of love in the air' in his closing statement," he said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also echoed Trump's assessment of the summit's spirit, calling the atmosphere of unity the defining feature of the entire meeting.

Earlier on July 8, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump held a separate meeting with Zelenskyy. A key focus of their talks was strengthening Ukrainian air defense and securing production licenses for Patriot systems.

Before that, during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump stated that both Zelenskyy and Putin wanted to reach a deal.

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