Ankara gears up for Trump’s largest-ever foreign delegation visit

US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Ankara on July 7, accompanied by a delegation of approximately 1,000 people, marking one of the largest official US visits to Türkiye in recent years, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.

Aircraft carrying members of the US delegation are expected to land in succession in the Turkish capital ahead of the visit, underscoring the scale of the trip.

A day before the NATO summit, Trump will be formally received at the Presidential Complex, where he is scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The meeting will be followed by broader discussions between the two countries’ delegations, with a joint press conference expected afterwards.

Trump is also expected to transport the US presidential limousine and a helicopter to Türkiye, with the aircraft to be assembled upon arrival in Ankara.

Talks are expected to focus heavily on defence and security cooperation, including the supply of engines for Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jet, the future of the F-35 program, CAATSA sanctions, and potential new defence projects.

Regional security issues are also expected to feature prominently. Ankara’s expectations regarding security arrangements in Syria, steps it wants Washington to take concerning the PKK/YPG, and the US military presence in the region are among the most sensitive topics on the agenda.

Broader geopolitical issues are also set to be discussed, including the ceasefire process in Gaza, tensions between Israel and Iran, the Russia-Ukraine war, security in the Black Sea, and cooperation within NATO.

Turkish officials expect the meeting to go beyond a routine exchange of views and instead produce strategic decisions that could shape a new phase in US-Türkiye relations.

For the first time, defence industry cooperation is expected to emerge as a central pillar of the talks, with Ankara aiming to strengthen its role as a key arms producer and a significant contributor to NATO’s evolving security architecture.

By Tamilla Hasanova