---
title: "Erdogan's Gun Gifts: How EU and UK Leaders Reacted to the Turkish President's Gesture"
description: "Erdogan gifted pistols to EU and UK leaders at the NATO summit. Costa and von der Leyen handed the weapons over to security, while Starmer and Jetten left them in Turkey due to gift restrictions. 🔫🇹🇷🇪🇺"
date: 2026-07-09T06:10:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/erdogans-gun-gifts-how-eu-and-uk-leaders-reacted-to-the-turkish-presidents-gesture
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Erdogan's Gun Gifts: How EU and UK Leaders Reacted to the Turkish President's Gesture

![Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an official suit with a Turkish flag on the lapel, discussing international relations and gifts](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/09/erdogan-podaril-pistolety-lideram-es-i-velikobritanii-na-sammite-nato/erdogan-podaril-pistolety-lideram-es-i-velikobritanii-na-sammite-nato-1.webp)

The NATO summit in Turkey concluded not only with diplomatic statements but also with an unexpected gift from the host. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented engraved pistols with live ammunition to several high-profile guests. This gesture, intended to underscore the prestige of the meeting, sparked a complex reaction in European capitals and raised questions for officials regarding compliance with anti-corruption norms.

### Diplomatic Incident Involving Firearms

Among those who received firearms from Erdogan were European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to a representative of the European Council, the weapon received by Costa was immediately confiscated by security services. The official spokesperson noted that further actions would be strictly regulated by Belgian procedures: the pistol would be transported to Belgium and stored in accordance with security requirements established by the General Secretariat of the Council.

Ursula von der Leyen has so far refrained from commenting to the media regarding her plans for this gift. However, sources within the administration indicate that premium ceremonial pistols are unlikely to remain for personal use by the leaders. The reason lies in strict restrictions on the value of gifts received by public officials. Accepting such an expensive present for personal use could violate ethical and legal norms.

### Reaction from NATO Allies

The situation regarding gifts was not limited to representatives of the European Union. Firearms from the Turkish leader were also received by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Unlike their European counterparts, the British and Dutch leaders showed decisiveness in resolving the issue. They informed the media that they would leave their pistols in Turkey for disposal, rather than taking them home. This decision avoids complications with customs clearance and compliance with internal rules regarding the acceptance of gifts.

### Summit Context

The episode with the gifts occurred against the backdrop of a tense diplomatic agenda. It was previously reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan is actively working on resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Turkish leader is trying to persuade Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table with Ukraine and has called on NATO allies to intensify efforts to end the war as soon as possible. Furthermore, Ankara has reaffirmed its readiness to provide a venue for direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Thus, the gesture of presenting firearms became a bright but contradictory note to the summit, against which serious geopolitical discussions are unfolding.