The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit of Heads of State and Government concluded after two days of meetings in Turkey's capital Ankara. The summit, held under the shadow of the three-month-long U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump's harsh criticism of allies, and growing concerns over Russia's military capacity in Europe, focused on defense budgets and support for Ukraine.
Agreement with Iran 'over'
One of the most critical moments of the summit came right after the U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes on Iran on Wednesday morning. Trump announced that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tehran was 'over' and described the Iranian regime as 'sick people.' 'They are cruel, violent people, and if they had nuclear weapons they would use them,' Trump said, adding, 'As far as I'm concerned, this is over.'
However, in a later statement to reporters, Trump said he did not think the war would resume, stating that the U.S. is not seeking a 'long-term' conflict. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the strikes as 'absolutely necessary' and claimed Iran was violating the ceasefire. 'Iran is fundamentally violating the ceasefire. We saw the attacks on ships yesterday. I believe it is vital that the U.S. responded strongly,' Rutte said.
NATO's final communiqué called on Iran to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated that Tehran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Increase in defense spending
Under mounting pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending and enhance the alliance's military-industrial capacities. The communiqué included a commitment to 'new procurements exceeding 50 billion dollars' and emphasized deep precision strike, integrated air and missile defense, unmanned systems, advanced technology, and intelligence capabilities. It also listed among its goals the adoption of 'an interoperable transatlantic combat cloud and robust artificial intelligence models.'
According to NATO data, only five of the 32 members are projected to meet the target of allocating 3.5% of gross domestic product to core defense by 2026. At last year's summit in The Hague, members agreed to raise core spending from 2% to 3.5%, and also decided to allocate 1.5% of GDP to broader defense investments. Seventeen members are expected to meet the 1.5% target. The average core defense spending for NATO Europe and Canada was 2.3% of GDP in 2025 and has so far risen to 2.53% for 2026. The U.S. rate is 3.17%.
At the summit's closing, Trump said some countries had made 'great progress' and added that a few had 'really answered the call,' noting, 'Most of these countries are very rich, by the way, so we don't need to feel sorry for them.'
70 billion euros for Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a busy schedule of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to rally support for his non-NATO member country. The alliance devoted a significant portion of the final communiqué to Ukraine and the threat posed by Russia, committing 70 billion euros (80 billion dollars) for military equipment, aid, and training for Kyiv, and confirmed 'sovereign commitments to sustaining at least equivalent levels in 2027.'
A positive atmosphere was observed between Zelenskyy and Trump during the summit. Trump announced that the U.S. would grant Ukraine the right to produce Patriot missile systems. 'We'll show them how to do it. I think they can produce them fairly quickly,' Trump said, a move seen as a major win for Kyiv. In a post on X after the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude, saying, 'We discussed some ideas that could strengthen our positions and bring peace closer.' Zelenskyy also said he had signed bilateral drone agreements with several countries, with more deals on the way.
Greenland tensions flare up again
Although the Iran war seemed to have temporarily overshadowed Trump's desire to acquire Greenland, the U.S. president brought the issue up again during the summit. Claiming that Greenland is 'very important' to the U.S. but not to Denmark, Trump said, 'Actually, when Denmark was invaded by the Nazis in a day, they asked us to take care of Greenland. So we took Greenland and then foolishly gave it back.'
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeatedly stated that Greenland is not for sale, and declared, 'We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory.' The European Union also emphasized that 'decisions on Greenland's future belong to the Greenlanders and the Danes,' stressing that territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and the inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law. Despite this, Rutte said Trump was 'right' about China and Russia's growing quest for influence in the Arctic.
Trump's Iran rebuke to allies
While heaping praise on host President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump harshly criticized allies in most of his press appearances, saying they were not helping the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Before the main session on Wednesday, Trump told reporters, 'I'm very angry with NATO,' alleging that members 'don't want to help us with Iran, the number one state sponsor of terror.'
Trump described Spain as 'a lost cause,' said he had instructed his Treasury Secretary to cut trade ties, and called Madrid 'very bad.' Unlike Spain, which did not allow the U.S. to use its bases for Iran operations, Britain had given Washington permission in March to use its bases under the rubric of collective self-defense of the region. However, after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeatedly emphasized that his country would not be drawn into the war, Trump deemed London's approach 'odd' and remarked, 'That's not in the spirit of Winston Churchill.'
