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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Paul Taylor

Once again Trump brought his wrecking ball to the Nato summit, and once again the alliance survived. But for how long?

Donald Trump at the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, 8 July 2026.
Donald Trump at the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, 8 July 2026. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Nato leaders survived another nerve-racking summit with Donald Trump and the 77-year-old defence alliance lives to fight another day, proving its durability against Atlantic storms. But it will never feel safe as long as the unpredictable, vengeful and ruthlessly transactional US president is in the White House.

As usual, Trump stole all the headlines at the annual summit, with a mixture of Nato-bashing and implausible threats to take control of Greenland and cut trade with Spain. He declared the ceasefire with Iran dead and called Iranian leaders “scum” as US warplanes bombed Iranian targets along the strait of Hormuz. Pitted against such irresistible clickbait, no Nato communique stood a chance of public attention.

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