Turkey stabilizes NATO at Ankara summit, pledges €70 billion aid to Ukraine

The NATO summit took place in Ankara on July 7‑8, 2026, with Turkey playing a key role in calming internal alliance tensions. The gathering produced a €70 billion aid package for Ukraine and a commitment by members to raise defence spending to 5 % of GDP by 2035. Market analysts noted a drop in the perceived likelihood of a NATO‑Russia clash, with odds falling to 16.5 %.

In the weeks leading up to the meeting, Turkish authorities detained hundreds of activists, unionists and lawyers and imposed a city‑wide assembly ban to prevent anti‑NATO protests.

Germany announced it will meet the NATO‑mandated 3.5 % defence‑spending target by 2029, after raising its 2026 budget to 2.7 % of GDP.

The summit reaffirmed NATO’s collective defence under Article 5 and signalled a strategic shift toward higher military investment across the alliance.