US taking stock of NATO as Trump heads to Turkey for summit
Summary
President Donald Trump is traveling to Turkey to attend the NATO summit in Ankara, where leaders will discuss defense spending and alliance commitments. Trump has been critical of some NATO members for not spending enough on defense and has questioned the value of the alliance during the ongoing conflict with Iran.Key Facts
- The NATO summit takes place on July 7-8, 2026, at the Beştepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will chair the summit.
- President Trump will have meetings with Turkey’s President Erdogan and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy during the summit.
- NATO allies have agreed to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, with some countries like Poland and Nordic states meeting or exceeding this target.
- Germany plans to reach the 5% defense spending target by 2029, while many other allies are behind in meeting the 2% goal.
- Trump has criticized NATO members for not sharing defense costs equally and suggested reconsidering the U.S. membership in NATO.
- The United States spends more on defense than any other NATO member due to its large overall defense budget.
- The alliance requires members to spend on their own national defense, not directly on NATO as an organization.
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