07.07.2026 06:50
The world's eyes have turned to Ankara ahead of the NATO Leaders Summit, which will begin today hosted by President Erdogan. At this historic summit, which US President Donald Trump will also attend, critical decisions regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, European security, increasing defense spending, and the future of NATO will be on the table. Before the summit, European countries are expected to announce new defense and arms agreements worth tens of billions of dollars.
The world's eyes turned to Ankara today. The 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will begin with critical decisions shaping the alliance's future. Leaders from 32 NATO member countries, including US President Donald Trump, as well as representatives from the European Union and partner nations, will discuss a wide range of topics including security, defense industry, the Russia-Ukraine war, and developments in the Middle East over two days. Ahead of the summit, new defense agreements worth tens of billions of dollars are expected to be announced at the NATO Defense Industry Forum.
According to a Reuters report, European countries will announce new weapons projects and defense collaborations as part of the NATO Defense Industry Forum. The total value of the agreements to be announced is reported to reach tens of billions of dollars, and this move is seen as a strong response to US President Donald Trump's long-standing call for 'Europe to allocate more resources to defense.'
One of the most notable items on the summit agenda is the expected meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are expected to discuss not only NATO's agenda but also regional developments, defense industry cooperation, and bilateral relations.
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DEFENSE AGREEMENTS
Numerous new projects and arms agreements are expected to be announced today at the NATO Defense Industry Forum. While details remain confidential, Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz announced that her country will reveal new defense investments exceeding 3 billion euros. Under this framework, joint projects are expected to be introduced with Belgium regarding air defense and with the United Kingdom concerning naval platforms.
EUROPE BOOSTS DEFENSE SPENDING TO RECORD LEVEL
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that European countries and Canada have increased their defense spending by approximately 20% over the past year, bringing the total defense budget to over 570 billion dollars. Rutte noted that both the Russian threat and Trump's years-long pressure have contributed to this increase.
UKRAINE AND RUSSIA TOP THE AGENDA
One of the main agenda items of the summit will be the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on NATO leaders for 'strong decisions' ahead of the summit, while recent Russian attacks on Kiev have reignited discussions on strengthening air defense systems. NATO is expected to deliberate on new support packages for Ukraine and enhancing air defense capabilities.
AWACS FLEET BEING RENEWED
According to sources, NATO plans to replace its aging US-made AWACS early warning aircraft with the GlobalEye system developed by Sweden-based Saab. The decision is expected to be formalized during the summit.
THE ALLIANCE'S FUTURE ON THE TABLE
During the summit in Ankara, discussions will cover increasing defense spending, Europe taking on more security responsibilities, strengthening defense industry production, the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in the Middle East, and NATO's strategic roadmap for the future. Leaders are expected to adopt a joint declaration at the end of the summit.