NATO Summit Opens in Turkey Amid Russian Threat and Trump Spotlight
The 36th NATO summit begins today in Ankara, Turkey, with all 32 member state leaders expected to attend the two-day event. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 72, aims to use the summit to boost Turkey's international standing, regional influence, and defense exports. The summit is only the second ever held in Turkey in NATO's 77-year history. Ankara has undergone extensive preparations, including city beautification, infrastructure upgrades, and a new Defense Ministry building shaped like a crescent, dubbed "Turkey's Pentagon." Authorities have also preemptively detained regime opponents and banned protests.
US President Donald Trump, who recently asserted "I am the boss" at the G7 summit in France, will be a central figure. Erdoğan will personally welcome Trump at the airport on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a bilateral meeting and a joint dinner with other NATO leaders. For the first time, the official program includes a visit to a Turkish arms exhibition, highlighting Turkey's ambitions as a key defense supplier within NATO.
Wednesday's agenda includes alliance discussions and side meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and likely Syrian President Ahmad al-Jarrah, an Erdoğan ally. Gulf foreign ministers will also attend talks focused on Iran. The summit aims to project unity amid ongoing tensions, including Trump's past threats to withdraw US troops and criticism of European NATO members for insufficient defense spending. European countries have pledged to increase defense budgets to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, but some, like Spain and the UK, lag behind these targets.
The Russia-Ukraine war will dominate discussions, with Trump having recently spoken at length with Vladimir Putin. European leaders sense a possible shift in Trump's stance toward stronger support for Ukraine. Iran's role and the stalled international naval mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz will also be addressed. Israel is concerned the summit could see Trump approve advanced F-35 fighter jet sales to Turkey, which was previously excluded after buying Russian air defense systems. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently made inflammatory remarks about Israelis, condemned by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The summit's successful, incident-free conclusion with a joint statement would mark a diplomatic win for Erdoğan and potentially weaken Israel's regional position. This summit reflects Turkey's growing power within NATO after 22 years of unsuccessful bids to host the event.
