Ankara, Turkey. NATO leaders will gather in Ankara next Tuesday and Wednesday as European members seek to show they are increasing defence efforts while the United States reduces its commitments to the alliance. The meeting comes amid tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran, Greenland and his repeated criticism of NATO.
Summit agenda
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the gathering will demonstrate that European members are honouring pledges to raise defence spending to deter Russia from any attack. He said arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars are expected to be signed.
Support for Ukraine
Leaders are also expected to pledge continued funding for weapons for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend a dinner hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who will also hold bilateral talks with Trump.
Transatlantic tensions
European officials said they hope Trump’s strong relationships with Erdogan and Rutte will help ensure a smooth summit, but said uncertainty remains because of lingering transatlantic bitterness over the Iran war and Trump’s frequent criticism of NATO.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said the United States was spending money to protect NATO members “without getting any benefit from so doing”.
Rutte’s remarks
Rutte and other NATO leaders have said the alliance contributes to the United States’ own security and that European members are responding to Trump’s longstanding calls to increase their own defence spending.
Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday, Rutte said the summit would focus on turning additional spending into combat-ready capabilities and significantly expanding defence industries.
“NATO is, and will always be, a transatlantic alliance but we need to rebalance it for the better,” Rutte said. “Working closely with the United States, European allies and Canada are taking greater responsibility for conventional defence in Europe.”
Defence spending increase
Rutte said last month that NATO’s European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defence in 2025 than in the previous year, bringing the total to more than $570 billion.
