06.07.2026 09:00
Within the scope of the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara, US President Donald Trump will visit Turkey after 17 years. The meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will address defense industry, trade, energy cooperation, and regional developments, particularly Syria, the Russia-Ukraine War, and Gaza. Additionally, the activities of FETÖ leaders in the US and Turkey's extradition requests are expected to be on the agenda during the meeting.
Ankara is preparing to host the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for July 7-8. The summit, which is critical for NATO's future and the global security agenda, will bring together 32 heads of state along with foreign and defense ministers.
In addition to NATO member states, the summit will also include the so-called AP4 countries—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea—and will address the security agendas of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
TRUMP COMES TO TURKEY AFTER 17 YEARS
As part of the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump will also visit Ankara. Thus, Turkey will host a U.S. president for the first time in 17 years. The last U.S. presidential visit to Ankara was made by Barack Obama in April 2009.
It was reported that Trump preferred to make an official visit with a large delegation rather than a brief meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Complex, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Trump will first hold a one-on-one meeting, which will then be followed by an inter-delegation meeting.
FOUR CRITICAL TOPICS ON THE AGENDA
The first agenda item in the meeting between Erdoğan and Trump will be cooperation in the defense industry. According to a report in Milliyet, this is expected to include the lifting of CAATSA sanctions, Turkey's re-inclusion in the F-35 program, engine sales for the KAAN fighter jet, and discussions on new defense projects.
The second important topic of the meeting will be trade. New steps that could be taken towards the goal of achieving a $100 billion trade volume between the two countries will be evaluated.
The third topic will focus on energy cooperation. Following the Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2025, new energy projects are expected to be discussed.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS ALSO ON THE AGENDA
Regional developments will also hold an important place in the meeting between the two leaders. Issues such as the reconstruction of Syria, counter-terrorism, peace initiatives in the Russia-Ukraine war, the rebuilding of Gaza, and preventing Israel's ceasefire violations are expected to be addressed.
According to information in the report, the activities of FETO ringleaders in the U.S. and extradition processes are also among the topics to be brought up.