NATO Summit Opens in Ankara as Allies Weigh Defence Spending and Ukraine
Leaders of all 32 NATO members gather in Ankara for the alliance's 2026 summit, hosted by Türkiye, with allied defence investment, transatlantic defence-industrial production and continued support for Ukraine at the top of the agenda. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung are attending as guests.
NATO leaders gathered in Ankara for the alliance's 2026 summit on 7-8 July, the 36th such meeting and the second hosted by Türkiye after Istanbul in 2004. Held at the Presidential Complex and chaired by Secretary General Mark Rutte, it brings together heads of state and government from all 32 member states, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung attending as partners.
Rutte has framed the meeting around three priorities: raising allied defence investment, strengthening transatlantic defence-industrial production, and sustaining support for Ukraine. The talks build on last year's commitment in The Hague to lift defence spending toward 5 percent of GDP by 2035, and allies are expected to focus on turning those pledges into deployable military capability. US President Donald Trump has kept up pressure on members over spending, and several European governments are expected to announce new military procurement contracts.
Ukraine is seeking additional Patriot air-defence systems as Russian strikes intensify, and Zelenskyy is due to hold a bilateral meeting with Trump on the sidelines. A NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, the alliance's main event on defence production and innovation, is running alongside the leaders' talks.
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