Turkey is hosting the 36th NATO Summit on July 7-8, 2026. The heads of state and government of the 32-member alliance will gather at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara. The summit will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan serving as host. This will be Turkey's second NATO summit after the 2004 Istanbul Summit.
The summit's most notable guest will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, while U.S. President Donald Trump is also attending. The agenda is centered on implementing the defense spending decisions taken at the 2025 The Hague Summit, boosting defense industry production, and sustaining support for Ukraine.
Day-by-day schedule
According to NATO's official agenda, the summit will conclude with the main leaders' meeting on July 8, following a day of preparatory and forum events.
Monday, July 6
- 4:45 p.m. — Secretary General Mark Rutte's pre-summit press conference (International Media Center)
Tuesday, July 7: Defense Industry Forum and welcomes
- 10:00 a.m. — High-level announcements at the NATO Defense Industry Forum (ATO Congresium)
- 12:45 p.m. — Rutte's opening speech at the Forum; Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler also attending
- 2:00 p.m. — Joint statement by Rutte and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy
- 5:00 p.m. — Foreign ministers' meeting with Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) partners
- 5:30 p.m. — Defense ministers' reception
- 6:30 p.m. — Dinner for heads of state and government with spouses
- 7:45 p.m. — NATO-Ukraine Council working dinner (at foreign ministers' level)
- 8:15 p.m. — North Atlantic Council working dinner (at defense ministers' level)
Wednesday, July 8: Main summit session
- 8:00 a.m. — Secretary General's doorstep statement
- 8:15 a.m. — Doorstep statements by allied heads of state and government
- 10:45 a.m. — Leaders' welcome ceremony
- 11:00 a.m. — Official family photo
- 11:15 a.m. — Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government (main summit session)
- 3:00 p.m. — Secretary General's closing press conference
NATO stated that the times and content may change.
Key agenda items
Secretary General Rutte describes the Ankara summit as being more about implementing the decisions taken in The Hague than setting new goals. At the heart of the summit is the allies' commitment to allocate 5 percent of their GDP to defense and security spending by 2035. This rate is split into at least 3.5 percent for core defense and 1.5 percent for broader security investment; the balance is planned to be reviewed in 2029.
Increasing defense industry production is one of the key themes of the summit. The NATO Defense Industry Forum on July 7 is being billed as the alliance's most comprehensive industrial gathering to date and aims to turn commitments into actual production.
Support for Ukraine is also high on the agenda. European allies and Canada are expected to commit around 70 billion euros (80 billion dollars) in military aid for 2026, and at least an equivalent amount for 2027. However, it is noted that this package largely consists of aggregating existing programs, and that the U.S. is outside the program. Allies are expected to reaffirm Ukraine's irreversible path to membership without offering a new timeline.
In the draft communiqué the alliance is working on, Russia is described as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Leaders are expected to reiterate the collective defense commitment under Article 5, with the emphasis that an attack on one is an attack on all.
Who is attending
The 32 member countries' leaders will attend the summit. U.S. President Donald Trump's attendance has been one of the most talked-about developments; Trump stated that he linked his visit to Ankara to the respect he holds for President Erdoğan. On the European front, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be in Ankara.
The summit also welcomes many non-member guests. The European Union will be represented by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa. From the Indo-Pacific partners, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will attend at leader level, while Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not come due to a parliamentary agenda, with ministers representing her country. Gulf ICI partners and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are also among the invitees. In total, around 6,000 people are expected to attend the summit, with nearly 3,000 journalists applying for accreditation.
Turkey's host role and defense industry showcase
The Ankara summit will also be a defense industry showcase for Turkey. Secretary General Rutte said that the first day will effectively be a defense industry day, and that tens of billions of dollars in contracts, agreements, and letters of intent could be signed. Turkey's defense industry ecosystem of around 3,000 companies, led by ASELSAN's Steel Dome air defense architecture and featuring Baykar, Roketsan, and TUSAŞ, is being positioned as a production hub for the alliance.
The International Media Center has been set up at the Nation Library next to the Complex, with around 1,500 workspaces and 40 editing booths. Turkey is presenting the summit under the theme "A Shared Future Through Solidarity," as a sign of its transformation from a border country on the alliance's southeastern flank to a central, indispensable ally.
Security and city arrangements in Ankara
Extensive security measures have been taken in Ankara for the summit. Around 40,000 security personnel have been deployed; red zones have been established around airports, the Complex, and delegation hotels, and airspace restrictions have been imposed. Roads around the Complex are closed to traffic from 7:00 a.m. on July 7 until midnight on July 8. The Ankara Governorate has banned meetings, demonstrations, and marches in the city from July 1-15; public employees have been granted administrative leave, and some exams have been postponed.
