President Donald Trump left the White House for Ankara to urge NATO allies to boost defense spending and enhance cooperation. Upon arrival, he will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and engage in various summit activities. Trump is set to attend meetings with leaders like Volodymyr Zelensky and Ahmed al-Sharaa before returning to the White House on Wednesday.
US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew G. Whitaker, emphasized the importance of allies meeting defense spending commitments. He highlighted the progress made since the previous summit and urged all allies to work towards spending five percent of GDP on defense. Whitaker also stressed the need for allies to enhance military capabilities and defense production.
Accompanying Trump are top officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Whitaker noted the significant increase in defense spending by NATO allies, with a focus on American-made equipment. The summit aims to assess allies’ efforts in strengthening defense capabilities and achieving fair burden sharing.
The summit will review NATO’s progress in defense spending and military capabilities. Whitaker emphasized the importance of investing in traditional defense systems and innovative technologies. The US aims to shift more responsibility for Europe’s defense to European allies and Canada. The summit is seen as a step towards reshaping the alliance and promoting burden sharing.
