The heads of state and government of the transatlantic military alliance will try to present a united front, despite the particularly tense international situation.
Published 06/07/2026 05:40
Reading time: 3min.
Ankara (Türkiye) will host the NATO summit on July 7 and 8, 2026. (AHMET SERDAR ESER/AFP)
Rarely has a NATO summit been held in such a tense atmosphere. Meeting July 7 and 8 in Ankara, Turkey, the heads of state and government of the military alliance’s 32 member countries will try to demonstrate a united front as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, the Middle East remains marked by recent clashes between Israel, the United States and Iran, and Donald Trump intensifies his attacks on the organization.
Officially, this 36th summit should allow “to take stock of the progress made since the 2025 Hague Summit and set the course that needs to be followed if NATO continues to achieve its core objectives”. Behind this institutional formula, four main questions should dominate the debate.
Maintaining NATO unity
Even before the opening of the summit, US President Donald Trump once again sowed doubts about the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A White House resident was convicted on Thursday, July 2 “mockery” that the United States continues to maintain what it considers “unilateral” with NATO. The withdrawal is part of a long series of criticisms of European allies, who are regularly accused of not investing enough in their own defense.
Therefore, for Europeans, the stakes will be both military and political. It will be about convincing Washington that Europe is now taking more of its own security to avoid another transatlantic crisis. “The organization of this summit reflects the escalation of conflicts. (…) Since 2022, heads of state and government have met every year, in particular due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”– emphasized Guillaume Lagan, SciencesPo Paris teacher and defense specialist, in a conversation with RCF. This unusual frequency shows that leaders are facing a problem, he said. “certain bewilderment” and experience “certain difficulty in responding to these challenges”.
Strengthening European defense
This desire to reassure the United States also involves an unprecedented rearmament effort. At the Hague Summit in 2025, the allies committed to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP). In Ankara, discussions should focus not on promises, but on their concrete implementation.
The goal is to strengthen the military capabilities of member countries. On its official website, NATO explains that during the Defense Industry Forum, organized as part of the summit, manufacturers will show that they “switch into full gear to ensure the Alliance remains prepared for any contingency”. Ambitions that illustrate the Allies’ desire to sustainably strengthen their defense capabilities.
Support Ukraine against Russia.
If NATO intends to demonstrate its unity, Ukraine will remain one of the main issues on the negotiating table. Vladimir Zelensky on Thursday, July 2, called on his allies to strengthen their country’s air defense after a new wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv, which the capital’s mayor presented as “the most important” since the beginning of the Russian invasion. “The issue of air and missile defense should be one of the main expected results”– said the Ukrainian president, going so far as to add: “Assuming, of course, that NATO still has some value to the allies.”
If Kyiv is still not a member of the military alliance, despite an application almost twenty years ago, its future is still closely linked to the future of Western countries. NATO also confirms that “Our security is inseparable from the security of Ukraine” and plans to further strengthen its support to meet the country’s most pressing needs.
But discussions should no longer be limited only to the Ukrainian front. Recent tensions in the Middle East following clashes involving Israel, the US, Iran and Lebanon should also be part of the discussion.
Strengthen your influence on Turkey
For Turkey, the summit is also a diplomatic showcase. It will be the second organized on its territory after Istanbul in 2004. As part of the political meetings, Ankara will also host the NATO Defense Industry Forum at the Turkish aerospace site, where industrialists and military personnel will present the country’s technological capabilities, the Turkish daily reported. Yeni Safak.
For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, this summit is also an opportunity to score points on the international stage. In an interview with AFP, international relations expert Serkan Demirtas believes that he should allow the Turkish president to strengthen his image as “the leader who best protects Turkey’s interests in the international arena”. Behind the scenes, Ankara is also hoping to see an easing of restrictions on its defense industry, an AFP Turkish security source said.