NATO Summit Opens in Ankara as U.S. Reviews Troop Presence and Secretary-General Urges Defence Industrial Push

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte opened the alliance summit in Ankara by calling for a “transatlantic defence industrial revolution” to meet challenges from adversaries. He said the defence industry must turn money into contracts and take more risks, adding that member states spent $37bn in one year to boost spending.

Rutte stated that by next year the alliance will have capacity to produce four million artillery shells.

Hours after those remarks, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to reaffirm the US commitment to the alliance’s collective defence. The Trump administration has announced troop withdrawals from Europe, cut forces assigned to NATO defence plans including an aircraft carrier, refuelling aircraft, fighter jets and drones, and launched a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.

Russia fired missiles and drones into apartment buildings in Kyiv on Monday, killing at least 24 people, Ukrainian authorities said.

The attack occurred for the second time in a week and on the eve of the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “important work lies ahead in Ankara” and expects a “strong and productive” NATO summit. He listed defence systems, missiles and production licences as Ukraine’s priorities.

The Kremlin said it will closely follow the outcome of the summit in Turkiye. It noted that “confrontational” statements about Moscow had been made in the run-up to the meeting and stated that Russia would return to a peaceful trajectory if Kyiv showed goodwill while maintaining an open diplomatic channel with the US.