After the NATO summit, Erdogan presented von der Leyen and Kości with engraved pistols
Following the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented ceremonial engraved pistols to high-ranking European Union officials — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
According to the publication, the gift set included a firearm, live ammunition, and a cleaning kit. The gifts were presented to the European leaders on Wednesday after the summit events concluded.
The European Council reported that António Costa’s security service immediately seized the weapons to conduct the necessary inspection.
“We will follow Belgian procedures to transport it to Belgium and then store it in accordance with the security requirements established by the General Secretariat of the Council,” said a representative of the European Council.
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen’s team has not yet announced what decision will be made regarding the gifted firearms.
According to sources speaking to Politico, the value of the ceremonial pistols may exceed the permissible gift limits set for EU officials. As a result, they will likely not remain in the recipients’ private possession but will be transferred to official storage in accordance with current regulations.
Meanwhile, some other summit participants have already announced their decisions regarding the unusual gift. In particular, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated that they would leave the gifted pistols in Turkey to be disposed of, rather than transporting them to their home countries.
Politico reported this, citing unnamed EU officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is ready to visit Ukraine “at the appropriate time,” but believes it would be best to do so after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the U.S. took place on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Among the main topics of discussion were strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, supplying missiles for the Patriot systems, as well as continued military support for Ukraine and exploring ways to achieve peace. Donald Trump made these remarks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
