At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that concluded on the 8th (local time) in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump lambasted allies, then at the end reversed course, saying it was “filled with love.” In his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he said he would allow the domestic production of Patriot interceptor missiles.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Guardian reported that early in the meeting Trump publicly criticized NATO members for not cooperating in the war with Iran, saying “I was very angry at NATO,” and declared toward Spain, “I do not want to do any trade.” Trump also revived his demand regarding Greenland and, instead of backing down, criticized NATO members who opposed his stance.

However, at a press conference after a closed-door leaders’ session, he said, “That room (the meeting venue) was filled with love,” and added, “The leaders said, ‘Your Excellency, we love you.’ These were grown adults saying it; is that not nice to see?” expressing satisfaction.

There is an assessment that NATO has, for now, succeeded in soothing President Trump. The summit declaration, which Trump also signed, specifies an “ironclad commitment” to NATO’s Article 5 (the collective defense clause). Citing the Greenland annexation controversy and the failure of European allies to help the United States in the war with Iran, Trump said in April, “NATO was put to the test and failed.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump, saying, “You accomplished what former President Eisenhower tried to do. This is your victory.” The remark pointed to Trump’s role in pushing up NATO members’ defense spending. In Europe, NATO members’ defense spending has increased by 20% this year compared with last year, WSJ reported. .

Tomas Valasek, former Slovak ambassador to NATO, told WSJ that this flattery strategy reflects that “the bar these days is quite low. It is enough not to go badly off course and to avoid controversy,” adding, “It is a terrible system, but better than the alternatives.”

Trump also struck an active tone on the war between Russia and Ukraine, from which he had once kept some distance. In his meeting with Zelensky that day, he said, “I will grant the right to make Patriot interceptor missiles. I will show you how to make them.” He added, “Then you cannot complain that we are not giving enough. You should make them yourselves.” However, Trump acknowledged that he had not yet informed the actual manufacturers, RTX or Lockheed Martin, of this decision.

The New York Times (NYT), citing experts, projected that actual production would take at least one year and as long as several years. Fabian Hoffmann, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, pointed to Germany’s Patriot production case and said, “It will be difficult to get the system in place within 12 months.” Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), also estimated that it would take years from authorization to actual production.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is suffering damage from continued Russian airstrikes as its stock of interceptor missiles is depleted. According to NYT, more than 50 people were killed by Russian strikes this week alone, and on the night of the 6th, Ukraine failed to intercept even one of the 23 ballistic missiles Russia launched. In the early hours of the 8th, it again failed to stop all five ballistic missiles.

Serhii Honcharov, managing director of the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, assessed that Trump’s remarks were more of a “political signal” showing U.S. support than a promise of practical military assistance, NYT reported. At this summit, NATO pledged $80 billion in military support for Ukraine for this year and next.