Sen. Dick Durbin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday at the 2026 NATO Summit in Turkey on a trip centered on rebuilding America’s longstanding relationship with allies amid President Trump’s back-and-forth comments about European nations.
Durbin traveled to Turkey this week with a bipartisan congressional delegation — and the group is reiterating to NATO allies that they have congressional support.
“For about 45 minutes, he [Zelenskyy] spelled out his plan to move forward and to stop the aggression of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. It is a comprehensive, incredible plan. He needs the help of the United States and the NATO allies to make it work,” Durbin told the Chicago Sun-Times from the summit in Ankara, Turkey. “I think the president’s statement with him afterwards is an indication he’s on board.”
Trump met with Zelenskyy on Wednesday, telling reporters at the bilateral meeting that he would explore giving Ukraine the capability to make its own Patriot missile defense systems.
“So, I think one of the things we’re going to be talking about is, as you know, the companies — we have great power over the companies — those companies that make the Patriot and make all of the great stuff, the Tomahawks, all of the great stuff,” Trump said.
Durbin categorized the summit as being productive when it comes to rebuilding the U.S.’s relationship with allies. Trump on Wednesday said there was “tremendous unity” among NATO leaders during a closed-door session, a day after he critiqued many European nations for not supporting the U.S. in its war with Iran.
“Well, I think the best news is the 32 nations of NATO came together,” Durbin said. “It’s clear that this alliance is important for the future peace of the world, and certainly important to stop Vladimir Putin from his aggression in Ukraine.”
Durbin credited part of that unity from having better communication with top Trump officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are also at the NATO Summit.
“There’s more communication here in Turkey leading up to our meeting with the NATO allies than we’ve seen in the Trump administration in the last year and a half,” Durbin said. “ I think a better mode of communication is not only important to move forward, but also to assure the American people that we’re operating as a team.”
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD., who is also part of the congressional delegation in Turkey, this week spoke positively of Trump’s push for NATO countries to come up with more defense spending. Durbin echoed that compliment.
“I have disagreed with many of the things he [Trump] said, but I would give him credit for pushing the financial responsibility to be shared more wisely,” Durbin said.
Trump on Tuesday also said he would consider allowing Turkey to buy American F-35 fighter jets. Turkey wants to join the U.S. F-35 program but is prohibited by federal law because it possesses Russian-made air defense. Durbin said he could be open to the plan but wants more details.
“We want to make sure that the technology that we pay purely to create is not compromised, and I think we have to have a lot of questions answered for that,” Durbin said.
Durbin left Turkey on Wednesday morning to head to Budapest, Hungary, where he’s also discussing bilateral opportunities and mutual defense challenges in the region. U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, Lindsey Graham, R-SC, Chris Coons, D-DE, and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-OH, round out the list of the congressional delegation in Turkey.