Leaders from all 32 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will gather on July 7-8 in the Turkish capital of Ankara, including United States President Donald Trump, whose threats to withdraw from NATO and reduce U.S. troop levels abroad have raised questions about the alliance’s future.
Friction around Europe’s refusal to materially support the U.S. in the Iran War, and Trump’s threats to annex Greenland—which European nations jointly called “dangerous”—have also tested the group’s unity.
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Here’s what to know about the 36th NATO Summit.
Who will be attending?
NATO members usually meet at least once a year to coordinate defensive strategy, and this year is no different. The leaders of all 32 participating countries, based in Western Europe and North America, are expected to attend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, European Council President Antonio Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to join a dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday.
Leaders are also to meet with representatives of Middle Eastern nations such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, and NATO defense ministers are set to hold talks with ministers from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.
What are the key topics?
NATO’s website lists three “key topics” for the forthcoming summit: defense investment, increased defense production, and long-term support plans for Ukraine against Russia.
At last year’s summit in The Hague, the countries agreed to spend 5% of annual GDP on “core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending” by 2035, a large jump from the previous 2% guideline laid out by the organization.
Leaders will likely look to prove that they are making strides toward that goal after Trump complained last week on social media that the U.S. “spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed defense spending as a priority on Monday, when he demanded that the allies put forward “clear, concrete, and credible plans” to reach the organization’s spending targets.
“President Trump fully expects that all allies will step up immediately and get on the path to 5% and do it with urgency,” Rutte said, adding: “The evidence we see so far is impressive.”
NATO members are also expected to reaffirm support for Ukraine against Russia and promise continued material assistance.
In advance of the summit, Zelensky called on countries present to make “strong decisions”after at least 15 people were killed in Kyiv by a Russian bombardment of drones and missiles.
“The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he said.
His entreaty comes amid munitions and stockpile concerns linked to the U.S.-Iran War. Ukraine was already facing a shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, which are especially effective against Russian ballistic missiles. But with resources diverted to fighting Iran, Ukraine is facing an even more dire shortage.
“Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles. And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles,” Zelensky said in his post on social media.
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Other issues shaping the summit
It remains unclear whether the war with Iran will be formally addressed at this year’s NATO Summit. The conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, has become a major source of tension within the alliance.
According to Reuters, leaders are expected to say in a summit declaration that “Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and call on Iran to fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump has, however, expressed frustration with several NATO members after they declined to provide military support for the U.S.- and Israel-led campaign.
“We helped them [Europe] with Ukraine. … But when we needed them, they were not there. We have to remember that,” Trump told the press in May, adding that he would consider withdrawing troops from Italy and Spain. In Germany, the Trump Administration went through with this goal, announcing the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany, following a “thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe.”
Regardless of whether the topics are directly addressed, tensions around the Iran War and America’s potential military drawdown in Europe will likely loom large over the summit.
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