NATO warns Putin at Ankara summit, announces major defence procurement

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to provoke the alliance ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, stating, "Do not play with us. We will defend our members and will not attack anyone." He also addressed young Russians, telling them that joining the war could make them one of the 30,000‑35,000 casualties.

During the summit, NATO unveiled a series of large procurement contracts to boost the alliance’s capabilities, including the delivery of an Airbus A330 MRTT multirole tanker, the purchase of Northrop Grumman Triton maritime surveillance drones, and a joint acquisition of Saab GlobalEye early‑warning aircraft. Two new industry‑co‑operation initiatives – “NATO Front Door for Industry” and the “Engine of NATO” – were also launched to speed up production and integrate defence and civilian manufacturing across member states.