DID Press: Leaders of NATO’s 32 member states will meet in Türkiye beginning Tuesday for a summit focused on higher defense spending, continued support for Ukraine, strengthening the alliance’s defense industry, and developments related to Iran.
The two-day meeting comes as US President Donald Trump has intensified calls for European allies to assume a greater share of NATO’s defense burden. His repeated criticism of allied spending levels, alongside discussions on reducing the US military presence in Europe, has fueled debate over the alliance’s future.
According to the summit agenda, leaders will discuss increasing defense budgets, enhancing military capabilities, expanding defense industrial production, and shifting more responsibility for Europe’s security to European members.
The gathering will also include Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Lee Jae-myung, António Costa, and Ursula von der Leyen at related events.
According to Reuters, European leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to increasing defense spending in an effort to address Washington’s concerns. Under an earlier agreement, NATO members pledged to work toward allocating the equivalent of five percent of GDP to defense and related sectors by 2035.
Support for Ukraine is expected to remain a central issue, with allies likely to commit around €70 billion in military assistance, equipment, and training for 2026 while maintaining similar support in 2027.
Iran will also be on the agenda. A draft summit declaration is expected to reaffirm NATO’s position on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and underscore the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. A parallel NATO defense industry forum is also expected to produce defense contracts worth tens of billions of dollars.