Trump says Erdogan is the reason he's attending NATO summit

US president Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not have attended the upcoming NATO summit were it not for his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and suggested he plans to bring a significant offer for Türkiye, potentially including F-35 fighter jets.

"I am going to the summit out of respect for President Erdogan," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. "Except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don't think I would have gone to it."

When asked by a reporter whether he was traveling to Türkiye with a "big gift bag," in reference to Ankara's long-standing request for F-35 aircraft, Trump replied, "Yeah. I think so. I'm going to probably do something that's gonna make him very happy."