President Donald Trump travels to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, to enforce the 5% GDP defense spending target agreed to in 2025. Tensions remain high as the Trump administration pushes its 'NATO 3.0' strategy, which seeks to shift primary defense responsibilities to Europe. Amid ongoing friction over the Iran war and U.S. force reductions, Trump will hold key bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey NATO summit enforcement
- ▪President Donald Trump plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Ankara summit
- ▪President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, starting July 7, 2026, to enforce defense spending commitments
- ▪President Donald Trump plans to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Ankara summit
Five percent GDP spending
- ▪NATO member states agreed at the 2025 summit in The Hague to spend 5% of their GDP annually on defense by 2035
- ▪German Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended Germany's contributions, stating the country is doubling its defense budget within four years
- ▪The 5% GDP defense spending target includes 3.5% for core defense requirements and 1.5% for broader security needs
Trump allied leader tensions
- ▪President Donald Trump criticized several European allies for refusing to allow the U.S. access to joint military bases during the Iran war
- ▪President Donald Trump publicly claimed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would resign and that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begged him for a photo
Ukraine war Zelenskyy meeting
- ▪President Donald Trump held separate phone calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 4, 2026
- ▪President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 8, 2026, at the Ankara summit
NATO 3.0 strategy
- ▪The Trump administration is promoting a 'NATO 3.0' strategy that envisions Europe taking primary responsibility for its own defense
- ▪U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month Pentagon review to examine America's force posture and military basing in Europe
- ▪The U.S. Department of Defense reorganized its acquisition and sustainment offices to prioritize foreign military sales and U.S. defense exports
European defense US dependence
- ▪NATO introduced the 'Arctic Sentry' military exercise to counter Russian and Chinese activities and address Donald Trump's interest in Greenland
- ▪The U.S. military began reducing its dedicated NATO force model assets to address what officials called an unhealthy co-dependence on U.S. forces
- ▪European allies filled most of the military gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model within a matter of weeks
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