NATO Leaders to Meet in Ankara as U.S. Questions Value of Alliance Defense Spending

NATO leaders will meet in Ankara on July 7 and 8 to review defense commitments and support for Ukraine. The summit follows a year of tension over U.S. decisions on troop levels in Europe and operations against Iran.

Officials say the gathering will focus on converting higher spending into combat-ready forces. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the meeting will emphasize turning extra spending into capabilities and scaling up defense industries. European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defense in 2025 than the prior year, reaching more than $570 billion, he noted.

Leaders are expected to reaffirm a 2025 agreement to reach 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense items by 2035 and an additional 1.5 percent on related investments such as cybersecurity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend a dinner hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan will also hold separate bilateral talks with the U.S.

President. Leaders plan to pledge continued weapons funding for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion. In a Truth Social post last week, the U.S. " NATO officials countered that the alliance contributes to U.S.

Security and that most allies allowed use of airspace and bases during the Iran operations. "The summit next week will focus on turning extra spending into combat-ready capabilities, and scaling up our defence industries," Rutte said July 2. "NATO is, and will always be, a transatlantic alliance but we need to rebalance it for the better," he added.