NATO member countries announced arms procurement deals worth several thousand crores of rupees ahead of US President Donald Trump’s arrival for the alliance summit in Ankara, Turkey.
The summit is being held in Ankara by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military cooperation bloc that includes the United States and several European nations.
Trump had recently described NATO as a weak alliance dependent mainly on American weapons, and said the US would invest more only if European countries increased their spending.
In what is being seen as a response to those remarks, European members moved to strengthen NATO’s military capability by signing deals to buy advanced aircraft, drones and other equipment.
The developments are expected to increase pressure on Trump to announce higher levels of investment during the summit.
