Erdogan gifts revolvers to Nato leaders, prompting customs and security questions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave Nato leaders personalised revolvers with live ammunition after a summit in Ankara, prompting several governments to navigate customs and security procedures, Reuters reported.
The unusual gifts were handed to leaders after Wednesday’s Nato summit in the Turkish capital, where Erdogan sought to showcase Turkey’s growing defence industry.
Images shared by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda appeared to show a Gumuşay .357 Magnum revolver, presented in a wooden box bearing the Turkish flag and Nato logo.
A placard in the box described the Gumuşay as “the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country”.
A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said all leaders were given the same model, engraved with their names.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reportedly discovered the handgun and ammunition in his luggage after returning home and handed it to police at Brussels airport to be secured in a safe.
An aide to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told Radio RMF FM that his revolver was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport and would be stored in an appropriate place “so that it is firstly, safe, and secondly, respected as a gift”.
“Certainly no one will be shooting it,” the aide added.
The offices of the Dutch and Swedish prime ministers said their revolvers had been taken to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch gift was expected to be disabled, while the Swedish one was awaiting import paperwork.
A Downing Street source told Reuters that the gun gifted to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer came with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets.
Other reports said Starmer was unable to bring the revolver back to the UK and left it in Ankara to be decommissioned.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s revolver was already being stored at the Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian government, alongside other state gifts.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is reportedly planning to donate hers to a military museum, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is reportedly planning to give his to the war museum in Athens.
The gifts also drew attention online, where some users read symbolism into Erdogan’s choice of a personalised firearm for fellow Nato leaders, though officials largely treated the matter as a question of customs and protocol.
Erdogan just trolling the entire EU with their strict anti-gun laws by giving everyone revolvers https://t.co/PfhkajI9yQ
— Joshua Bailey (@JoshuaBailey184) July 9, 2026
The gifts drew attention as Turkey continues to promote its defence industry as a key part of its foreign policy and export strategy.
Reuters cited the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey as sing Turkey was the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, behind the US and Italy, with exports totalling around $3bn over the period.
Turkey’s defence sector has expanded significantly in recent years, led by the international visibility of its drones, armoured vehicles and firearms.
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