Turkey gifts revolvers, live bullets to NATO leaders after Ankara summit

4 min readUpdated: Jul 10, 2026 01:42 PM IST

The revolver appeared to be the Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shooter ​produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s. (Credit: X/RT)

The leaders attending the NATO summit this year were astonished when they received a box each from the summit host Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as departing gifts. The contents of the box, a revolver and bullets, had security teams and customs officials running for safety and clearance.

Everyone received the vintage handgun, along with live ammunition after the summit ended on Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported. The move is seen as part of Erdogan’s attempt to showcase Turkey’s defence industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool. Turkish gunmakers have been trying to enter Europe’s civilian firearms market, dominated by Italian and Belgian firearms, with inexpensive pistols and shotguns.

The unusual gift drew surprises, but also left some of the delegation’s security teams panicking.

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Polish PM’s security team on alert

Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s security team was apprehensive of the gift, and not for no reason. In 2022, Poland’s police chief was gifted an anti-tank grenade launcher by Ukraine. He kept it in his office. However, the military equipment exploded in his office, causing severe damage.

So now, Erdogan’s goodwill gesture has Nawroscki’s security on toes. His aide said the gun gifted to the leader was awaiting customs clearance at the Warsaw airport. He added that the revolver will be kept at an appropriate place “so that it is firstly safe and secondly respected as a gift”, according to The Guardian.

An engraved magnum

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first to mention the highly unusual gift presented to NATO guests. The revolver, a Gumusay .357 Magnum, had the name of the guest engraved and was handed over along with six live rounds. The gun, produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s, was packed in a red box lined in black featuring Turkey’s flag ​and the NATO logo.

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini shows reporters a gift from Turkish President Erdoğan at the NATO summit. pic.twitter.com/5ZBerrFcCb

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 9, 2026

The box included a cleaning kit, too. However, several of the leaders’ guns, including those of Starmer, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Dutch PM Rob Jetten, were left behind in Ankara, owing to stringent gun laws in their respective nations.

They are likely to be shipped after proper clearance.

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How NATO leaders reacted to the unusual gift

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s spokesperson told Reuters that all the attending leaders were given the same model, with their names engraved on the barrel.

Belgium prime minister Bart De Wever said he only learned of “the exact nature of the gift” after returning to the country. “The prime minister was surprised and immediately handed it over to airport police so it could be placed in a secure safe and the matter was handled in accordance with relevant procedures,” an official said on Thursday.

An unusual gift from President @RTErdogan at the NATO Summit: a Magnum revolver with ammunition, engraved with my name… pic.twitter.com/Bni4asgPDl

— Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) (@magyarpeterMP) July 9, 2026

The Belgian PM’s security team handed over the revolvers to the airport security to be handled as per the relevant procedures.

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Meanwhile, the revolvers gifted to the prime ministers of Netherlands and Sweden were taken to their respective embassies in Ankara. The one gifted to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was sent to the Palazzo Chigi to be kept with state gifts.

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The report said that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was intending to donate it to a military museum. The Greece premier said he planned to give his handgun to the War Museum in ​Athens.

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