U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will give a license for its Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas for Ukraine to counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for Ukraine, which has badly needed the technology in the war now in its fifth year.
Trump made the announcement as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Turkey, praising him as having “done an amazing job” and “been very effective” in the war.
Speaking at the summit a day after Trump again expressed a desire for the U.S. to control Greenland, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “Greenland is of course not for sale.”
Here is the latest:
Iran strikes conducted with jets, but a large Navy fleet is off the waters of Iran
The retaliatory strikes against Iran were conducted by Air Force and Navy fighter jets in the region and lasted about four hours, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday.
The strikes Tuesday evening hit around eight times more targets than the previous round of retaliatory strikes that were conducted at the end of June — an escalation that was prompted by Iran’s ongoing strikes on merchant shipping in the region.
The official also noted that the Navy’s massive flotilla of warships was not involved in last night’s strikes. The force of 19 ships stationed around the waters of Iran is massive. It includes two aircraft carriers — the USS Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush — as well as an amphibious assault ship carrying over 1,000 Marines, 14 destroyers, a cruiser, and an expeditionary sea base vessel.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing sensitive military operation.
Trump gives confusing answer on why he’s changing planes on the way home
Trump flew to Turkey on his new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar.
But he announced in a social media post earlier Wednesday that the plane he had proudly shown off would instead visit Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom so military members could “tour the Aircraft.”
Trump said he would be flying home in an older plane used as Air Force One “for old time’s sake.”
When asked Wednesday if security concerns played a role in the switch, Trump didn’t directly answer but said he was “No. 1 on the list for killing” by Iran.
The U.S. Air Force referred inquiries to the White House.
Images of the jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile-detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.
Trump promises quick resolution in Iran even as he says ceasefire is over
“I don’t think it’s going to start again; I think it’s going to go very quickly,” Trump said when asked whether the war was restarting.
He repeated an earlier threat, saying the U.S. “might” strike Iran again tonight, but he insisted it wouldn’t lengthen the war significantly.
“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” he said. “We’re not looking for long-term.”
Trump says there is an ‘oil glut right now’
The president played down the risks that an intensifying war with Iran could drive up oil prices, claiming that the world has an “oil glut.”
“This will end very quickly,” Trump said. “We have an oil glut right now, because we got all those boats out of the strait, and it’s going to drop, and I predicted everything.”
Trump spoke as U.S. oil futures topped $75 a barrel in Wednesday afternoon trading, a daily increase of more than 6%.
The International Energy Agency said this week that oil supplies could exceed demand if there is a durable ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that keeps the Strait of Hormuz open. It said any surplus would be driven by a 1.1 million-barrel-a-day drop in global oil demand this year.
Trump says of Iran that US military might ‘just finish the job’
“We can play games, but I’m not sure I want to make a deal,” the president said. “Just finish the job.”
Trump has said that the tentative ceasefire with Iran may now be off and is threatening a new round of attacks.
His comments about finishing the job came in response to a question about Trump having previously said that Iran’s leaders were rational and acceptable to deal with, only to now suggest they are “crazy.”
The president said he had a change of heart over Iranian leaders because “I got to know them.” He also suggested that leaders who have emerged in Iran after the war began are no longer looking out for the Iranian people.
Trump describes Iran as weakened but alludes to ongoing security concerns
Trump said that all of Iran’s anti-aircraft weapons are “gone” but suggested Tehran still can down aircraft, adding immediately: “That doesn’t mean they’re not going to get a plane at some point.”
He then said, “Everything’s gone,” and remarked on how many of Iran’s leaders were taken out.
“You know what? I may be gone too, because I’m their No. 1 target,” Trump said.
Even before the Iran war, federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump for years. The Justice Department in 2024 announced that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.
Trump exaggerates his TikTok popularity
Trump claimed that he’s “No. 1 on TikTok.” He did not specify which metric he used to make that determination, but it’s not true based on follower counts.
As of Wednesday, the Senegalese-Italian influencer Khabane Lame, known for his silent comedy videos, was the most followed user on the platform with 162.3 million followers.
Trump has 16.7 million followers — that doesn't even put him in the top 50.
Trump suggests that communist candidates are ugly
During his news conference, Trump said that “all I do is talk about communism” on TikTok and in recent public comments.
The president has spent weeks criticizing progressive Democratic primary winners as communists. But he added a new insult this time, implying that none of those candidates are attractive.
“I don’t see any looker,” Trump said. “I don’t see anyone with the look.”
By way of elaboration, he added, “I guess you need something. They don’t have it and I think they’ll fade fast.”
In reference to more moderate politicians in Europe, Trump said, “These are not social democrats” but instead, “These are communists that are running and they don’t want God.”
Trump says there was a lot of ‘love’ in the NATO working session
The president said “there was tremendous love in that room” that the press didn’t get to witness, including what he said was respect and love for the country.
He told reporters that he didn’t want to say it was for him “because you’ll say, ‘Oh, he’s so conceited. He’s such a conceited person.’”
But he then said that the other leaders like the job he’s doing and “grown people” in the room said, “Sir, we love you.”
Trump then mused on whether what he heard was just flattery, saying: “Maybe they’re trying to get to me. And in a way they did.”
Trump has high praise for summit and its ‘tremendous unity’
Despite repeated criticism that NATO has done too little to help the United States, Trump was effusive about the warmth he felt as leaders met on Wednesday.
Trump said there was “tremendous love in that room” along with “tremendous unity.”
He described his allies as “very smart people — they have a lot of good in their heart, not evil, good.”
It was a remarkable turn after Trump had renewed his criticisms against European allies.
Trump begins his NATO remarks
The president has arrived to give remarks on stage, capping his appearance at the two-day summit. It comes about three hours after his address was initially scheduled.
Merz defends US strikes on Iran
The German chancellor said it was clearly Iran that violated the ceasefire agreement. He said the U.S. military had struck back on Trump’s orders and “that is justified.”
But he added that “in the end, there must be an agreement with Iran that ends the nuclear program permanently and reopens the Strait of Hormuz permanently.”
Trump appears to have cooled on the idea of getting Syria to fight Hezbollah
Sitting across from al-Sharaa, Trump gave a cautious response when asked about his earlier suggestion that Syria should lead the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“They could help, we’ll find out,” Trump said. “I think we’re making a lot of progress.”
Al-Sharaa wasn’t asked about it at their one-on-one meeting.
Trump raised the idea at the G7 summit last month, saying he thought Syria would do a better job than Israel. Days later, he again criticized Israel’s handling of the situation and said he was “close to giving it to Syria.”
Al-Sharaa has previously said he has no interest in taking on that role.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa thanks Trump for lifting sanctions
Al-Sharaa thanked Trump for “the historic decision to lift the sanctions,” saying “the entire Syrian people thank President Trump.”
Trump met al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2025 months after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Since then, his administration has steadily eased U.S. sanctions on Syria.
Ahead of meeting Trump Wednesday, al-Sharaa met with a U.S. congressional delegation that was also in Ankara for the NATO summit, according to Syrian state media.
German leader says the summit contributed to keeping NATO together
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his expectations of the summit were more than fulfilled.
He said he’s “returning to Germany with the feeling that we made a big contribution to NATO staying together, to it becoming stronger, to it becoming more European.”
Merz said there was “a new feeling of European responsibility in the room.”
Trump says oil prices rise when the US attacks Iran
The U.S. president said oil prices were rising Wednesday after military attacks intensified with Iran in a troubling sign for peace talks.
“Any time we hit them, it goes up a little bit — $2,” Trump told reporters. “As oil goes, so goes everything else.”
The president has taken conflicting stances on the energy price bump caused by the Iran war, saying it wasn’t a consideration for ending the war and then touting price declines after an interim deal was announced in June.
But Trump’s math was somewhat off. U.S. oil futures were trading Wednesday morning at roughly $75 a barrel, an increase of about $5.
Trump suggests he’ll remove Syria from terrorism list
During his sit-down with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Trump was asked if he would remove Syria from the State Department’s state sponsors of terrorism list, which brings a range of sanctions.
“I think I will, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” Trump said. “He’s done a great job,” Trump added, referring to al-Sharaa.
Trump spoke warmly about al-Sharaa, calling him a strong and respected leader who brought together a country that was “a real mess, very disjointed.”
Syria has been on the list since 1979. Some U.S. lawmakers have called for removing Syria from the list, citing improvements after the 2024 ouster of Bashar Assad.
Spain’s leader downplays Trump’s threats and calls relationship with US ‘very positive’
Asked about Trump’s renewed trade threats, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the bilateral relationship with the U.S. “positive” and said Spain had fulfilled its defense spending obligations for 2026.
Sánchez added that he and Trump briefly spoke at the summit in Turkey and shared “nothing but kind words and friendliness.”
“We spoke about football, about the World Cup in the United States,” Sánchez told reporters. “It was an informal chat.”
The Spanish leader downplayed Trump’s threats to cut off trade with Spain, saying his government had taken the comments with “a certain normalcy,” reiterating that the European Union handles trade policy on behalf of the bloc’s 27 member states, including Spain.
“When one looks beyond these statements, what becomes apparent is that the relationship between the United States and Spain — across social, cultural, economic and political spheres — is very, very positive,” Sánchez said.
Spanish minister says Spain ‘accepts neither blackmail nor threats’
Health Minister Mónica García was the first Spanish government official to comment publicly in response to Trump’s renewed trade threats against Spain over its defense spending.
On X, García wrote: “Trump calls Spain a ‘terrible partner’ because it accepts neither blackmail nor threats. Because we are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace. What is terrible is to confuse diplomacy with bullying.”
Trump wants Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but says it probably won’t be in Moscow
Asked about his efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said he’d like to see the leaders of both countries sit down together.
Trump said he’s talked about it with Putin, who he said was open to a meeting but wanted to host in Moscow. Trump said he rejected the idea on behalf of Zelenskyy.
Sitting across from Zelenskyy, Trump asked directly if he would meet in Moscow. The Ukrainian president answered with a quip.
“It’s difficult, there are a lot of Ukrainian drones there,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”
Trump has not only warmed to Zelenskyy but also Ukraine’s drone technology
As Trump was heaping praise on Zelenskyy and his country’s efforts in the war with Russia, he commended Ukraine’s use of drones to counter attacks and suggested the U.S. might buy the technology.
It’s a shift for Trump, who had previously been dismissive of Ukraine’s use of the low-cost but effective unmanned aircraft in the war and suggested the U.S. technology and tactics were superior.
Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. makes great drones, but it might buy from Ukraine because “they have an ability to make a lot of them” and called it “amazing.”
“It’s an amazing ability, very cheap,” he said.
“You’re very talented people,” he said to Zelenskyy. “So uh, yeah, I think we’re going to make that deal. You know, if we made that deal, we’d have great protection.”
Macron says Iran was ‘wrong’ to launch strikes
French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran was “wrong” to carry out the strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz that prompted a U.S. response, saying they violated the agreement Tehran had signed.
“I believe the Iranians were entirely in the wrong to carry out those strikes, which are contrary to the agreement they themselves signed,” Macron said.
Asked about the status of the ceasefire, Macron said the parties remain within the 60-day negotiation period established under the U.S.-Iran deal signed in June.
Macron said his understanding is that the meetings scheduled under that framework will continue to take place.
Trump threatens to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure
President Trump threatened Wednesday to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure and to seize Kharg Island, with its oil infrastructure, as his ceasefire with Tehran appeared to be in tatters.
Trump made the threats after announcing that the U.S. was preparing for a second night of strikes against Iran after Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.
If the U.S. has to, Trump said, it will take out Iran’s electric plants and desalinization plants. He said Tuesday’s strikes included attacks on Kharg Island but not its oil facilities.
“Maybe we’ll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There’s not a thing they could do about it,” Trump said.
Rutte refuses to define NATO’s role in the Iran war
Rutte refused to say Wednesday whether NATO might play a role in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
“Obviously Iran is outside NATO territory,” Rutte said, but he added: “That doesn’t mean that NATO could never get involved.”
He said that “if helpful, NATO is always willing to play a role. But first now, let’s see what happens over the coming days and weeks.”
NATO prides itself as a defensive alliance focused on protecting the transatlantic area. Its last venture outside, into Afghanistan, ended in chaos and allies are reluctant to get drawn into any other war.
Britain and France are leading a separate international effort to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open once the fighting stops.
Kremlin warns Baltic nations will erode their own security if they host NATO’s nuclear weapons
Asked about Lithuanian lawmakers considering a measure that would remove a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Baltic nation following a similar move by Finland, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Russia will have to take relevant steps to protect itself if any nuclear weapons are deployed to Baltic countries.
“Contrary to the expectations of the countries making such decisions, it will not strengthen their security,” Peskov said in a call with reporters. “On the contrary, it will significantly increase the level of danger they face, because countermeasures will be taken in relation to them to ensure protection of our interests.”
Last month, the Finnish Parliament voted to repeal a decades-old law that banned nuclear weapons from the country. The vote followed Helsinki’s 2023 decision to join NATO.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says NATO welcomes Trump’s leadership
Rutte says NATO allies have “warmly welcomed” Trump’s leadership, even after the American president reopened old wounds over Greenland.
Rutte said Trump’s leadership “is transforming this alliance and making it stronger.”
“The message from this summit is simple. NATO delivers,” Rutte said after chairing the summit.
In a win for Ukraine, Trump says US will allow Patriot air defense missiles to be made overseas
President Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will give a license for its Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas for Ukraine to counter Russian missile attacks, a huge coup for Ukraine which has badly needed the technology in the war that’s now in its fifth year.
Trump made the announcement as he met Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Turkey, praising him as having “done an amazing job” and “been very effective” in the war.
“We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said.
Zelenskyy has long sought more of the defense systems, which are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to manufacture. He’s been pressing for Ukraine to be granted a license to manufacture the technology.
Trump says US is preparing for more strikes against Iran
The president said Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing for another night of strikes against Iran, just hours after he said the ceasefire was over.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. “We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.”
Trump made the remark in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit. He said the strikes are continued retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“They are behaving very badly,” he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.
Trump has warm remarks in meeting with Zelenskyy
Though the U.S. president and his Ukrainian counterpart had a tense encounter at the White House last year, Trump said Wednesday as he sat with Zelenskyy, “We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe.”
He said Ukraine has a good future with “such great land, such great assets, such great people” and that they were going to have a good talk together.
He also called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “difficult character” and Zelenskyy “a difficult character.”
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