ANKARA — U.S. President Donald Trump was due to arrive in Turkey on Monday for a high-stakes NATO summit where alliance leaders are expected to press ahead with new defense spending commitments while seeking to preserve unity amid continuing disagreements over security priorities, Ukraine and the future U.S. military role in Europe.
The two-day summit in Ankara, beginning on July 7, will bring together leaders of NATO's 32 member states, along with senior European Union officials and invited partner nations. The gathering comes as Washington continues to urge European allies to assume a greater share of the alliance's defense burden and reviews aspects of its military posture on the continent.
According to NATO and alliance officials, leaders are expected to focus on implementing a long-term goal of raising defense-related investment to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, expanding defense industrial capacity and reviewing continued military assistance for Ukraine. NATO has also scheduled meetings involving partner countries from the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East alongside the summit.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged member states to present "clear, concrete and credible plans" for meeting agreed defense investment targets, saying European allies and Canada have substantially increased military spending over the past two years. Some governments, however, continue to argue that alliance capability goals can be achieved without all members reaching identical spending levels.
Trump is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to U.S. officials cited by multiple news organizations. Ukraine is seeking continued political and military backing from NATO members as Russia's war against the country continues.
The summit will also take place against the backdrop of broader geopolitical tensions following the recent conflict involving Iran, as allies assess regional security implications and defense readiness. Turkey, the summit host, is expected to use the gathering to highlight its defense industry and advance discussions with Washington on longstanding bilateral security issues.
On the eve of the meeting, Trump also renewed a public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni through social media, prompting criticism from some Italian political figures while Italy's defense minister emphasized the importance of maintaining strong bilateral ties regardless of political differences.
Official summit proceedings are scheduled to begin on Tuesday following a pre-summit news conference by the NATO secretary general on Monday evening, with leaders set to hold the North Atlantic Council meeting and conclude the gathering with a final press conference on July 8.
