Western media widely covered the NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara that ended yesterday and the behavior of European leaders and US President Donald Trump there, BTA writes.
Great Britain
For European NATO leaders, Donald Trump's list of complaints against the alliance at the summit in Turkey this week was hardly a surprise - the US president's warm words about Ukraine were unexpected, notes the British newspaper "Financial Times".
The change in Trump's position in Ankara from outspoken criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allowing him to produce American weapons was the remarkable moment of the summit of NATO leaders in Turkey, which at times threatened to turn into something strange, the newspaper adds.
According to the publication, Trump's new tone has left European allies cautiously optimistic that America's volatile leader has made a significant shift in favor of Kiev, summarizes the "Financial Times".
Germany
At the NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump threatened the Danes and dismissed the Spanish; it seems that he has already written off the alliance, "Spiegel" points out. But behind closed doors, things are said to have developed differently, the publication adds.
"The stage was perfectly lit. Everyone had learned their lines. Everything had to go smoothly. Act one: A lavish dinner at the Turkish president's palace. Act two: A short working session with a few facts about European defense efforts. Act Three: Press conferences with unified messages of strength to the world. That was the script. But Trump simply rewrote his role himself," notes the website of state television Zet DF.
"Before the second act - the working session - began, Donald Trump met with the NATO Secretary General. And although Mark Rutte had already traveled to Washington in advance to meet with Trump, explaining to him with numbers that the Europeans had understood and were actually contributing more, Trump launched a full-scale attack: he raised the issue of Greenland and sharply criticized the allies for not supporting the United States in the war with Iran," the media outlet continues.
"Spain was a specific target - Trump said he wanted to completely end trade relations with this country. And while doing so, he called into question the entire NATO: What is the point of the alliance if it doesn't help the US in any way," notes Zet DF.
This media outlet also asks the question "Are we Europeans pawns?" and notes that the main goal of the NATO summit in Ankara seemed to be to please Trump.
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" points out the US president's dual behavior, noting that in front of the cameras, the US president criticizes the allies, but in meetings behind closed doors he says: We want to stay with you.
Whether NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is subordinate to US President Donald Trump is the question the "Frankfurter Rundschau" is seeking to answer. The publication notes that the NATO summit in Ankara showed how far alliance leader Rutte is willing to go to keep the American president happy.
The newspaper describes how journalist Rasmus Swaneborg from the Danish news agency Ritzau asked Rutte the question: "Does it affect your self-esteem that you sit there and say nothing?", referring to Rutte's silence while Trump publicly talked about annexing Greenland, threatening allies such as Spain with trade sanctions and starting trade wars.
USA
"The Washington Post" marks the end of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which President Donald Trump announced at the NATO summit in Ankara.
The newspaper quotes him as saying: "They are scum. Sick people. They are run by sick people and they are cruel people, violent people. I think it is just a waste of time to deal with them. They are liars... something is wrong with them. They are crazy. I think it is over."
The media also carries another quote from Trump, according to whom the negotiations with Iran can continue, but he is deeply skeptical about whether they will be productive.
After insulting allies at the NATO summit, US President Donald Trump said that they love him, notes another American newspaper - "The New York Times".
The publication assesses that the meeting in Turkey showed the most unstable behavior of President Trump, as he moved from contempt to praise for European countries, including some whose patience to appease him has run out.
The newspaper quoted the president as saying at a press conference: "I just want to say there was a lot of love in that room", not long after he had declared "I'm not happy with NATO".
Describing their closed-door meetings, Trump boasted: "They said, "Sir, we love you." That was said by mature people. Isn't that sweet?!".