Turkish president gives NATO leaders engraved revolvers and ammunition
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gifted NATO leaders personalized revolvers with six bullets at the Ankara summit, causing surprise and security challenges.
NATO leaders faced an unusual gift after the summit in Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each with a revolver and six live rounds. The weapon came in a red box lined with black, engraved with the recipient's name, along with a note exempting it from export controls.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first to mention the gift. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar posted on X that he received a Magnum revolver with ammunition engraved with his name. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, surprised upon learning the nature of the gift after landing in Belgium, handed it over to airport police for secure storage. His security team also handled the revolvers for EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa; von der Leyen's spokesperson said she thanked Erdogan and plans to decommission and donate it to a military museum.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki's revolver arrived safely, with precautions taken given a previous incident where Poland's police chief brought back a grenade launcher that exploded. An aide stated, "It is certain that no one is going to fire it."
Several revolvers, including those of Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, remained in Ankara. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took his revolver but left the ammunition in Turkey. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's weapon will be transported according to procedures.
The gift puzzled many delegations, as the summit focused on Ukraine, Iran, and relations with the US. The Turkish presidency did not respond.
