'Let's Just Finish the Job': Trump Confirms Iran Strikes to Likely Come Wednesday Night

US Troop Withdrawal 'Will Not Be Drastic' Says NATO Military Committee Chair

Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone says they will be unaffected by the withdrawal of US troops, and believes the transition will be smooth. He spoke to Bloomberg Television's Oliver Crook on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara on Wednesday. (Source: Bloomberg)

Trump insults Zelensky to his face during NATO meeting

At the NATO summit in Turkey Wednesday, President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "difficult character" directly to his face, then laughed awkwardly at his own comment. During brief remarks before media questions, as he pointed to Zelenskyy, Trump said, "We've settled a lot of wars, and this one is the one that I thought maybe would be the easiest, but Putin's a difficult character, and this guy's a difficult character!"Unlike Trump's apparent amusement at the jab, Zelenskyy remained stone-faced and stoic, glaring at the President without reciprocating the laughter. “It's not the easiest thing,” Trump acknowledged.He continued, "There's a lot of commitment and there's a lot of love of the countries and everything else," and claimed progress had been made in recent weeks. The tense exchange highlighted the strained dynamics between the two leaders during peace negotiations.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.

McConnell faces fresh calls to come clean about health issues

Andy Beshear sent a letter demanding Mitch McConnell disclose his health status as leaked audio revealed the senator was unconscious in June.

Watch: Trump slams Iran, calls regime "scum" and says he's unsure about deal as NATO summit wraps

President Trump on Wednesday spoke to reporters about a number of topics as the NATO summit in Turkey came to an end. At one point, Mr. Trump said he wasn't sure if he wants to make a deal with Iran and threatened new strikes against the nation. Watch the full press conference.

Trump's NATO trouble tour

President Trump hijacked NATO's annual summit within hours of touching down in Turkey, threatening allies and declaring the Iran ceasefire "over" as Washington and Tehran lurched toward renewed war.The big picture: The carefully choreographed Ankara summit unraveled into the Trump show, with the agenda quickly overtaken by the president's grudge against allies who sat out the Iran war.Driving the news: On his quick trip to Turkey, Trump opened new wounds and rubbed salt in others by:Threatening to cut off all trade with Spain, calling the country "hopeless" for refusing to let the U.S. use its military bases to strike Iran.Deeming talks with Tehran a "waste of time" and suggesting the U.S. could take out "every single bridge in Iran";Renewing his demand to acquire Greenland, which triggered a full-blown crisis in January and prompted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to pledge that Denmark would defend its territory;Floating the removal of "all of our soldiers out of Europe," alarming allies who have relied on the U.S. security umbrella for decades;Praising China, saying he's a "big fan" of President Xi Jinping, and cozying up to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Israel's objections;And making it abundantly clear: "I'm not happy with NATO."The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.Catch up quick: Since the Iran war began, Trump has waged a running campaign to humiliate European leaders — even those who'd worked hardest to stay in his good graces.On Sunday, he posted a meme of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with the caption: "Restraining order needed" after previously claiming she "begged" him for a photo, which she disputes.He also pre-announced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's resignation a day before Starmer confirmed it himself.Reality check: Despite mounting concern about rifts in the alliance, members reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense and pledged "unwavering support" — including security funding — for Ukraine.In the summit's most concrete win, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the U.S. will license Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air-defense interceptors — a capability Kyiv has sought for years.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has heaped frequent flattery on the president, downplayed the divides, saying NATO was made stronger by the defense spending commitments Trump demanded.The bottom line: NATO leaders are used to Trump's threats by now. What's harder to shrug off is the ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe — the biggest shift in the continent's defense posture since the Cold War.Go deeper: Europe braces for Trump's wrath

Key Takeaways From NATO Summit: Talks Revolve Around Donald Trump

NATO leaders gathered in Ankara this week aiming to impress Donald Trump with a raft of defense contracts and spending plans. The idea was to demonstrate to the US president their commitment to upgrading their militaries.

Trump Says NATO Summit Was Successful

US President Donald Trump says the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, was successful. He also praises Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (Source: Bloomberg)