NATO summit in Ankara stresses defence spending, Ukraine aid and alliance unity

The NATO summit was held in Ankara on 7‑8 July 2026, hosted by Turkey. U.S. President Donald Trump adopted a confrontational tone, threatening European allies and questioning U.S. commitment, but the summit concluded with a statement of “extraordinary success” and reaffirmed collective defence.

Members reaffirmed the target of spending 5 % of GDP on defence by 2035 and pledged an additional $80 billion in assistance to Ukraine. European leaders pushed for a “NATO 3.0” concept, greater strategic autonomy and stronger defence‑industry cooperation. Canada and several European states announced multibillion‑dollar weapons contracts, while Poland disclosed spending of $65 billion on U.S. arms and a proposal for a permanent U.S. base in western Poland.

A new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, led by Canada, was announced to mobilise low‑interest loans for defence projects. Despite the vigorous rhetoric, the summit produced few concrete new initiatives, leaving the alliance’s future direction largely unchanged but reinforcing commitment to Ukraine and to raising European defence capabilities.