NATO Ankara Summit Targets $90B Defense Hike Amid Trump Rift
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- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defense in 2025 than the prior year — reaching more than $570 billion total — and that arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars are expected to be signed at the Ankara summit.
- Trump complained in a Thursday Truth Social post that the United States spends money protecting NATO members "without getting any benefit," while Rutte insisted the alliance contributes to American security and Europeans are heeding Trump's longstanding calls to spend more on their own defense.
- NATO leaders are expected to build on last year's Hague commitments — 3.5% of GDP on core defense by 2035, up from a 2% goal, plus 1.5% on broader defense-related investments including cybersecurity — and to vow continued weapons funding for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend a dinner hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who will also hold bilateral talks with Trump; European officials hope Trump's personal relationships with Erdogan and Rutte will keep the summit smooth despite lingering bitterness over Iran and Greenland.
- The U.S. has announced troop withdrawals from Europe, cut forces assigned to NATO defense plans — including an aircraft carrier, refueling aircraft, fighter jets and drones — and launched a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.
- The Iran war, which Trump launched without consulting European allies, ruptured personal ties with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and outgoing British PM Keir Starmer; officials worry a flare-up in the fragile ceasefire could overshadow the summit or prompt Trump to vent at allies who declined to assist U.S. military operations.
Why it matters: Europeans are putting concrete dollars on the table — $90 billion more in 2025 defense spending and a 3.5%-of-GDP pledge by 2035 — to convince Trump the alliance is worth staying in. But Washington is simultaneously stripping an aircraft carrier, fighter jets and drones from NATO defense plans, widening the capability gap the spending is supposed to close.
