European leaders pledge stronger NATO role ahead of Trump-Rutte meeting and Ankara Summit

Jun 23, 2026

European leaders of the E5 group met in Berlin to coordinate a unified defense strategy ahead of the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara. The meeting occurred as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited President Donald Trump at the White House to defuse severe tensions. Trump and U.S. officials have repeatedly slammed European allies for refusing to participate in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, threatening troop drawdowns and funding cuts, while European leaders pledge to strengthen NATO's European pillar.

Trump-Rutte White House meeting

▪NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with United States President Donald Trump in the White House Oval Office on June 24, 2026, to address tensions over European allies' non-participation in the US-Israel war on Iran.
▪United States President Donald Trump praised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte as a great leader during their meeting on June 24, 2026, but reiterated his frustration with other NATO members.
▪During the Oval Office meeting, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte presented charts showing increased defense spending by NATO members and praised United States military actions in Iran.

European NATO non-participation

▪United States President Donald Trump threatened to withhold military assistance under NATO's collective defense doctrine from countries that rejected calls to assist in the Iran war.
▪NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte defended European allies by noting that four to five thousand United States military planes utilized European bases during the six-week war with Iran.
▪United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called NATO allies shameful for refusing to join the Iran campaign and announced a six-month review of United States military deployments in Europe.
▪United States President Donald Trump criticized European NATO allies for failing to support the United States and Israel in the war against Iran.

Ankara NATO summit preparations

▪The annual NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7-8, 2026.
▪Leaders of the E5 group—Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Poland—met in Berlin on June 24, 2026, to coordinate a joint position ahead of the July NATO summit.
▪The United States expects NATO allies to demonstrate a commitment to increasing defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, following an agreement reached at the Hague summit.

US-Israel war on Iran

▪In March 2026, United States President Donald Trump called on NATO allies to send military forces to guard the Strait of Hormuz during an Iranian blockade.
▪The United States and Israel launched military attacks against Iran on February 28, triggering a war that killed thousands of Iranian civilians and temporarily displaced millions.

US-Iran ceasefire negotiations

▪A key impasse in the ongoing United States and Iranian ceasefire negotiations remains the long-term control over the Strait of Hormuz.
▪United States and Iranian delegates signed a tentative ceasefire memorandum in Switzerland on June 17, 2026, which led to Iran lifting its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.