Erdogan Gave Luxury Pistols To Top European Union Officials

• 9.07.2026, 11:47

The weapons were handed over to them at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan presented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa with exquisite engraved pistols, live ammunition, and cleaning kits. This was reported by Politico citing two EU officials.

Top EU officials were attending the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara. The weapon was handed over to them on Wednesday, July 8.

An official from the European Council noted that António Costa’s security team took the weapon for inspection.

“We will follow Belgian procedures to transport it to Belgium. We will then store it in accordance with the security requirements established by the General Secretariat of the Council,” EU officials said.

However, as one official noted, the presence of premium-class ceremonial pistols would likely violate strict restrictions on the value of gifts. Therefore, it is unlikely that these weapons will be kept by the recipients themselves.

Other European leaders, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten have publicly stated that they will leave the pistols in Turkey to be decommissioned before they are shipped to their respective countries.

Earlier, Erdogan stated that he supports the view of U.S. President Donald Trump on the need to establish peace in Russia’s war against Ukraine.