Starmer says Erdogan 'gifted' revolvers and ammo to leaders at Nato Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer a personalised pistol along with live ammunition as a gift during the Nato summit.

Starmer said Erdogan gifted personalised revolvers, engraved with the names of each leader present at the event in Ankara.

The prime minister has not brought back the revolver with him to the UK and will remain with British officials in Turkey.

The firearm is expected to be decommissioned before being returned, rendering it incapable of firing live ammunition.

Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waived export controls to allow the gift to leave the country, it remained in Turkey because UK law prohibits the import of a functioning firearm.

As NATO wrapped up a rollercoaster summit with US President Donald Trump in Ankara, alliance chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday no date had been set for the next gathering.

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"The next summit is in Albania, and of course, we still have to decide on the exact timing," Rutte told a press conference.

NATO leaders have in recent years held annual summits as Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has upended security in Europe.

But some voices inside the 32-nation alliance have pressed for the alliance to stop holding summits each year.

Part of the thinking, diplomats said, is to avoid the white-knuckle ride of having to keep Trump happy with the 77-year-old alliance.

In their summit declaration, leaders said simply, "We look forward to our next meeting", without specifying when it would be.

Diplomats said that Albania's relatively low defence spending had also been a consideration in not immediately setting a date for next year. The Western Balkan nation was named as the host of the next NATO summit in 2025.

With inputs from agencies