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"It was a great meeting, there was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity," said US President Donald Trump after earlier lashing out at NATO allies.

US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

ANKARA: US President Donald Trump offered NATO allies an unexpected warm embrace as they wrapped up a key summit Wednesday (Jul 8) after earlier lashing out at them over their response to his war on Iran. 

It was an abrupt swing from antagonism to affection within the space of a few short hours, illustrating the wide range of emotions exhibited by the mercurial US leader.

"It was a great meeting, there was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity," Trump told reporters after the closed-door meeting of 32 heads of state at the NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Behind closed doors, Trump had reassured them he wanted the US to stay in the military alliance, saying: "We want to remain with you", a source inside the session told AFP. 

And that was reflected in the final...