Trump: US show of force paved the way for peace

US President Donald Trump held a press conference following the NATO Leaders' Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands. At the beginning of his statement, Trump thanked the Dutch government and the Royal family for their hospitality and made remarks regarding the decisions taken at the summit and the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Arguing that the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities last week was extremely successful and that no other army in the world could carry out such an operation, Trump said, "The extraordinary show of force by the US, along with the ceasefire agreement reached on Monday, paved the way for peace. We think it is appropriate to call this war the 12-Day War, and we believe this war has ended. I no longer believe the parties will attack each other."

Trump said, "We not only eliminated a critical threat like Iran's nuclear program, which is what I wanted from the beginning. I said, 'Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.' I said this years before I entered politics; I have been saying it for 15 years. At the same time, we have reaffirmed the unique credibility of America's deterrence."

"A BIG STEP FOR EUROPE"

Stating that he held meetings with NATO country leaders over the last two days, Trump said, "The focus of our discussions was the necessity for other NATO members, that is, Europe, to shoulder the defense burden, especially the financial burden. As you know, the target was previously 2 percent. We have increased this to 5 percent."

Trump said, "As of today, the US covers two-thirds of NATO defense spending. Since I started pushing for additional contributions in 2017, our allies have increased their defense spending by a total of 700 billion dollars."

Expressing that he focused on this issue again as soon as he took office after the election and convinced NATO allies to increase their defense spending, Trump said, "A historic turning point occurred this week. NATO allies have committed to allocating 5 percent of their GDP to defense. This was truly something no one believed was possible."

Trump said, "The 5 percent defense spending commitment is a big step for Europe. It is even a major gain for Western civilization. For years, previous administrations could not even convince most allies to contribute 2 percent."

Arguing that increasing defense spending would prevent disasters similar to the war between Ukraine and Russia, Trump said he hopes the money allocated to defense will be spent on military equipment rather than bureaucracy. Trump said, "This is vital. This additional money needs to be spent on serious military hardware, not bureaucracy. I hope these will also be hardware produced in America because we have the best military equipment in the world."

"THE IRANIANS WERE VERY POLITE"

Touching upon the retaliation from Iran after the US attack on Iran, Trump said, "The Iranians were really polite; they warned us in advance. They said, 'We will strike at one o'clock.' I said, 'Okay.' And everyone was evacuated from the base, so no one was harmed."

Trump said, "All 14 high-tech missiles targeting the base in Qatar were destroyed by our systems. It's truly incredible. Being able to achieve this is just like hitting a bullet in the air with another bullet."

Sharing the content of a letter from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission regarding the impact of the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump said, "The statement reports that the devastating US attack on the Fordow nuclear facility destroyed the facility's critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility completely inoperable. The facility is practically leveled."

Stating that the attack set back Iran's nuclear weapons development capability by years, Trump said, "The attack was so heavy that it ended the war. Yes, this attack ended the war."

"WE FIRED A TOTAL OF 30 MISSILES"

US President Trump said, "Think of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They also ended a war. This ended the war in the same way, but in a different form." Stating that submarines were also used in this process, Trump said, "We fired a total of 30 missiles in the attack carried out across the ocean."

Trump said, "We used the massive B-2 bombers in this mission. F-22s and F-35s also took part."

Stating that after the victory the US won in the Middle East, it also won a victory in Europe, Trump said, "But this is an ongoing process. Europe's security means the world's security. The target has now been increased from 2 percent to 5 percent. This was something no one thought would be possible."

"I SEE THAT BOTH SIDES ARE TIRED AND EXHAUSTED"

When asked at the press conference how he was sure that the war between Iran and Israel had ended, Trump said, "Because I see that both sides are now tired and exhausted. They fought in a very, very tough, brutal, and violent way."

Arguing that the end of the war can also be seen from the fact that 52 planes that took off from Israel returned upon his call following the ceasefire violation, Trump said, "I think the war effectively ended when we hit the nuclear facilities. The systems, planes, and plans used in this mission were all extraordinary."

Trump said, "Everything is largely over. Israel will go back to its business. Iran will also look to its own path. Iran has a big advantage. They have large oil reserves. They can do many things with these resources."

Stating that he believes Iran has given up on its nuclear program, Trump said, "They have been after this for twenty years, but it seems they have given up now. If something like this happens in the future, even if not now, then we will be there. It might not be me, but America will be there. If something needs to be done, it will be done."

When asked whether China would be allowed to buy oil from Iran, Trump said that Iran needs money to recover and that the US wants this to happen. Trump said, "If they are going to sell oil, let them sell it. We are not taking over the world."

Trump said, "Now, China wants to buy oil. They can buy from us or they can buy from other places. But Iran needs money to get back on its feet. And urgently."

When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin has plans beyond Ukraine, Trump said, "That is possible. But he wants to solve the issue in front of him and get out of this business because this situation has become a complete mess. He called the other day and said, 'Can I help with Iran?' I replied, 'No, help me with Russia.'"

"WE WILL MEET WITH IRAN NEXT WEEK"

When asked if they are interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, Trump replied that Iran is no longer in a position to build nuclear weapons, saying, "They are no longer in that position. They gave up. They have given up on this business now."

Regarding a question about potential meetings with Iran, Trump replied, "We will meet with Iran next week, maybe we can sign a deal, I don't know. But if you ask me, I don't think that is so necessary."

"I WILL MEET WITH PUTIN"

In response to a question about his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said, "The impression I got from the meeting was that he desires for this matter to come to an end. The meeting went very positively. I think this is a very good time to end this war. I will meet with Vladimir Putin. Let's see if we can end this."

Responding to a journalist's question about Spain, which reacted to NATO's newly set 5 percent defense spending target, Trump said, "They are the only country that does not want to pay this. They want to stay at the 2 percent level, and I think that is very bad. Moreover, their economy is in good shape. If something bad happens, their economy could collapse in an instant. But we will compensate for this. What will we do? In the trade negotiations we are conducting with Spain, we will make them pay double. I say this seriously. We have to make Spain pay this."

Adding that he likes Spain and has many Spanish friends, Trump said, "But I will not let it work this way. This is really not fair at all."

"WE PREVENTED A NUCLEAR WAR"

Stating that the US also ended the conflict between Pakistan and India with a series of phone calls, Trump said, "I said, 'If you are going to fight each other, there is no trade deal or anything.' Because things were going very badly. You know how bad that last attack was. I said, 'If you are going to fight, we are not making any trade deals.' And they said they would agree."