European leaders will seek to highlight new defense spending commitments, Ukraine weapons support and NATO’s relevance to U.S. security as President Donald Trump renews criticism of the alliance.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
NATO leaders are set to meet next week in Ankara for a summit expected to focus heavily on European defense spending, continued weapons support for Ukraine and renewed tensions with President Donald Trump over the future balance of responsibilities inside the alliance.
The gathering, scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, comes as European governments attempt to demonstrate that they are increasing their own military commitments while Washington reduces parts of its role in NATO’s defense posture. The summit will be hosted in Turkey, where Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is expected to hold bilateral talks with Trump and host a dinner attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the meeting will show that European members are following through on pledges to spend more on defense in response to the continuing threat from Russia. Arms agreements worth tens of billions of dollars are expected to be signed, and leaders are also expected to reaffirm support for funding weapons for Ukraine as it continues fighting Russia’s invasion.
European officials hope Trump’s relationships with Erdogan and Rutte will help keep the summit on track. But officials also acknowledge uncertainty because of continuing disputes over the Iran war, Trump’s statements about Greenland and his repeated criticism of NATO.
Trump renewed that criticism Thursday in a Truth Social post, saying the United States was spending money to protect NATO countries “without getting any benefit from so doing.”
In a separate post, Trump said the arrangement was unfair to Washington.
“Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!” Trump wrote.
Rutte and other NATO leaders have argued that the alliance strengthens U.S. security and that European members are responding to Trump’s longstanding demands that they shoulder more of the defense burden.
“The summit next week will focus on turning extra spending into combat-ready capabilities, and significantly scaling up our defense industries,” Rutte said Wednesday in Berlin.
“NATO is, and will always be, a transatlantic alliance but we need to rebalance it for the better,” Rutte added. “Working closely with the United States, European allies and Canada are taking greater responsibility for conventional defense in Europe.”
Rutte said last month that European NATO members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defense in 2025 than the previous year, bringing their combined defense spending to more than $570 billion.
At last year’s summit in The Hague, NATO leaders agreed to raise core defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product by 2035, covering areas such as troops and weapons. They also agreed to devote an additional 1.5% of GDP to broader defense-related investments, including cybersecurity. That marked an increase from NATO’s previous 2% spending target.
European officials are hoping the Ankara summit produces a similar outcome to last year’s meeting, when Trump reaffirmed U.S. support for the 32-member alliance and its Article 5 mutual defense commitment while also praising fellow NATO leaders.
The alliance has faced new strains over the past year. Trump has said he wants U.S. control of Greenland and authorized military action against Iran, prompting concern among some European allies about the lack of prior consultation. The United States has also announced troop withdrawals from Europe, reduced the forces it assigns to NATO defense plans — including an aircraft carrier, refueling aircraft, fighter jets and drones — and begun a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.
“The alliance is alive and kicking but a bit bruised,” said a European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some European officials are concerned that the Iran war could overshadow the Ankara meeting if the fragile ceasefire breaks down or if Trump criticizes allies for not doing more to assist U.S. military operations.
Trump has also suggested that U.S. concerns about NATO allies not supporting Washington could affect America’s willingness to aid an alliance member under attack. NATO officials, however, say most allies honored commitments allowing the United States to use airspace and bases on their territory, even though the war was deeply unpopular in Europe and many European leaders did not support it.
The conflict has added pressure to Trump’s relationships with several European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Despite the friction, some NATO officials are hopeful that leaders will avoid a public clash and keep the summit focused on defense spending, Ukraine and alliance readiness.
“I’m optimistic (that won’t happen) because I think the leaders know what is at stake,” a senior NATO diplomat said. “And if something like that does occur, then we always have the ultimate marriage counselor, Mark Rutte, to smooth things over.”
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