U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit of heads of state and government scheduled to take place in Türkiye in July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.

Speaking to lawmakers, Rubio described the upcoming gathering as one of the most consequential meetings in the alliance’s history, citing key issues that NATO members must address.

“I think the next meeting of NATO and Türkiye in July is probably the most important meeting in NATO’s history, because there are some things here that need to be cleared up and fixed,” Rubio said.

He also confirmed Trump’s participation in the summit, telling lawmakers that “the president himself will be attending.”

While Washington remains a member, he said the organization needs “significant changes” that will be discussed in the July 7-8 summit in the Turkish capital.

The meeting is expected to bring together leaders from across the alliance at a time of heightened security concerns and ongoing discussions over NATO’s future priorities, burden-sharing and regional challenges.

Trump’s attendance is likely to place additional focus on the summit, with alliance members expected to discuss defense spending, transatlantic security and other strategic issues facing NATO.

Rubio reiterated long-time administration rhetoric that Western European nations have avoided defense spending for decades by relying on the U.S. security shield to fund “vast and robust” social safety networks.

“The U.S. has global obligations, and while we have vast resources, we do not have unlimited resources,” Rubio said.

The top U.S. diplomat also expressed frustration about recent incidents where NATO allies denied the U.S. use of their bases during the war with Iran.

“In a time of conflict and crisis, where the United States had a need,” said Rubio, allies who demand U.S. involvement in European matters like Ukraine refused to allow American tankers to refuel at their facilities. The lack of cooperation, he said, caused Trump’s “irritation” with the alliance.

Addressing Trump’s previous interest in acquiring Greenland, Rubio defended the logic, noting that the administration is in talks with Denmark and Greenland on collective missile defense.

“The president’s view is that it’s a lot easier to defend it when you have control and complete control of it,” he added.

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Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is facing the prospect of new disciplinary proceedings and possible expulsions after Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was reinstated as party leader following a court ruling invalidating the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress, reportedly prepared to take action against several senior party figures.

The party’s High Disciplinary Board (YDK) convened Thursday at party headquarters in Ankara following the reinstatement of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as chair.

During the one-hour session, Izmir lawmaker Mahir Polat was elected chairperson of the High Disciplinary Board, while Ahmet Ersen Özsoy was elected deputy chairperson and Sezgin Kaya was chosen as board secretary by majority vote.

While no disciplinary files were reviewed during the session, party sources say future meetings could address expulsion requests and disciplinary measures against prominent CHP members.

The meeting came days after a court issued an “absolute nullity” ruling that annulled the results of the CHP congress and restored Kılıçdaroğlu to the party leadership, triggering a fresh internal power struggle.

Shortly after returning to office, Kılıçdaroğlu signaled a tougher stance toward internal party disputes.

“They ask me what I am going to do. I will hold people accountable,” he said, adding that his immediate priority would be restoring discipline within the party and organizing a “clean and uncontested congress” as soon as possible.

Speculation has intensified over potential disciplinary actions against senior party members. Columnist Mahmut Övür told Sabah newspaper that Kılıçdaroğlu was preparing to refer several figures to disciplinary mechanisms.

According to Övür, names circulating in party circles include Deputy Chairperson Veli Ağbaba, parliamentary group deputy chair Ali Mahir Başarır, Burhanettin Bulut, lawmaker Turan Taşkın Özer and Deputy Chairperson Özgür Karabat.

The CHP’s High Disciplinary Board is the party’s highest disciplinary authority and consists of 15 members. Any decisions regarding disciplinary referrals or expulsions would likely play a significant role in shaping the party’s future leadership structure.

The court ruling has intensified tensions between Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel, who has rejected the legitimacy of the legal process and accused the government of interfering in opposition politics.

Addressing CHP lawmakers during a parliamentary group meeting on June 2, Özel criticized the court decision and called on Kılıçdaroğlu to withdraw legal proceedings before the Court of Cassation in an effort to resolve the crisis.

“If a step back is taken and a congress is held, this chapter will be closed,” Özel said.

The government has denied accusations of involvement in the CHP dispute.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the developments as an internal opposition matter and rejected claims that his administration played any role in the judicial process.

“We are observing these developments from a safe distance,” Erdoğan said.

“The political and legal struggle that has moved from congress halls to court corridors has nothing to do with us. We were not involved, and we will not be involved,” he added.

On the other hand, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has also weighed in on the dispute, criticizing what he described as attempts to create a “parallel leadership” structure within the CHP.

In remarks published by Türkgün newspaper, Bahçeli accused Özel of deepening the crisis by establishing an alternative center of authority within the party and challenged opposition figures’ calls for public demonstrations.

Bahçeli also criticized references by CHP officials to “political, legal and physical struggle,” questioning the meaning of such statements and warning against escalating political tensions into street protests.

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Özgür Özel is almost cocksure to get back his chair as the legal battle on the matter lingers. The former chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was forced to leave his office when a court ruled for the reinstatement of Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, last month, in a case where the Özel administration is accused of buying votes in a 2023 intra-party election. He now mulls founding a new party, though he also remains determined to remain in CHP.

Özel was defiant on Tuesday as he held his first parliamentary group meeting at the party where he now serves as the said group’s chair. On Wednesday, he met a group of journalists and answered questions about his future and rumors of the establishment of a new party by his loyalists. “We are not committed to setting up a new party,” he told journalists, while underlining that it might be “worst-case scenario.”

“Nobody can stop the wind,” he said, referring to his call for a new election in the party, which he is confident of winning. “We are engaged in a great march to govern. We will not do this by leaving the party,” he said.

CHP trails ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in most opinion polls, but it has suffered successive election defeats in more than the past two decades, except for a strong comeback in 2024’s municipal elections. Özel advocates an early election, ahead of the 2028 presidential vote.

Özel’s camp within CHP took their case to the Supreme Court of Appeals, challenging the absolute nullification verdict by a lower court. The higher court is expected to tackle the case before the start of a judicial summer holiday beginning on July 20. The lower court has not referred the case to the Supreme Court so far. The Supreme Court may issue one of four rulings, according to legal pundits. It may uphold the absolute nullification verdict, it can overturn it, overturn the verdict partially in terms of ouster of the Özel administration while upholding the verdict on annulment of the 2023 election and finally, it can overturn the verdict in terms of interpretation of the case. The last verdict will likely require a retrial in the case. Supreme Board of Election (YSK) on Wednesday announced that it rejected an appeal by CHP, citing that the Board was not the appeals authority for the lawsuit.

Although it is unclear when the Supreme Court would respond to the appeal, several politicians were quick to urge the court to make up its mind soon. Among them was Devlet Bahçeli, chair of government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Bahçeli on Tuesday said the top court should issue the verdict as soon as possible, saying that it was a sensitive matter. Bahçeli reasoned that the matter was urgent as it had the potential to hurt the democracy and may lead to riots. Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) echoed the same concern and called the Supreme Court to end “this bizarre situation.”

Latest developments, however, show that it will be an uphill battle for Özel, who may even lose his immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker. Two suspects testified in a case regarding the vote-buying on Tuesday and statements by one of them indicate the corruption in the 2023 intra-party vote. Özkan Yalım, former mayor of the western city of Uşak for CHP who was recently arrested in a separate case of corruption, told investigators how he worked to sway the vote for Özel. His statements reported by the Sabah newspaper on Tuesday show Yalım was among the supporters of Özel who obtained written pledges from 115 delegates eligible for voting in the 2023 election to vote for Özel. Yalım admitted that the Özel camp also offered jobs at CHP-run municipalities for children of at least one delegate. He also told investigators that Özel asked him to pay cash to cover expenses of the congress where the intra-party election was held and he handed TL 1 million to a suspect who was arrested last month, to be delivered to Özel.

On Wednesday, the Sabah newspaper reported that the Özel camp would also attempt disobedience against the new administration. Özel reportedly told the party’s chairs at the branches in 81 provinces and their districts not to comply with orders, decisions by the Kılıçdaroğlu administration. Party sources told the newspaper that this means branch chairs would not evacuate the offices if they were asked to resign by Kılıçdaroğlu. Several chairs already sided with Özel. Özcan Dağıstanlı, the party’s chair for the northern province of Düzce, was quoted last week as saying that he would not “give a f…” if Kılıçdaroğlu ousts him. According to the Sabah report, Özel offered future candidacy for parliamentary seats to branch chairs in return for disobeying the orders of the Kılıçdaroğlu administration.

CHP’s internal affair

On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been less vocal about the state of the CHP since Kılıçdaroğlu’s return, elaborated more on the matter but insisted that it was the CHP’s internal affair. Özel stepped up anti-Erdoğan rhetoric after he lost his seat and claimed that the case against him was politically motivated. While his supporters openly branded Kılıçdaroğlu as a “traitor,” Özel took aim at the government instead.

Speaking at an event in Ankara, Erdoğan said the CHP must get accustomed to such “scenes of shame,” referring to the feud between Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu, “as long as they see politics as a way to make a career and money instead of a way to serve the public.

“They succumbed to a fight for a seat. They call people they once admired ‘traitor’ now,” he said. Without naming Özel, Erdoğan said they would “ignore those who got angry like a child whose candy was taken away and pick on us.”

“Nobody can overshadow the reputation of the politics, the quality of Turkish democracy,” he said. Erdoğan also stated that it was “of no use to anyone to marginalize politics,” referring to the threat of riots by the Özel camp. Özel himself hinted at “street rage” if the legal process against them concludes unfavorably. “May Allah not let this country be governed by those who cannot even come to terms with each other (at the same party),” Erdoğan said.

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The Turkish Naval Forces Command will begin its Sea Wolf-2/2026 (“Denizkurdu”) exercise on Thursday, conducting large-scale operations across the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean until June 14.

The exercise will involve 125 naval assets, 60 aircraft and approximately 18,000 personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), including land, naval, air, gendarmerie, coast guard and special forces units, Rear Adm. Alper Doğukanlı said during a briefing at the Naval Warfare Center Command in Gölcük.

Doğukanlı said the drill aims to evaluate the operational command and control capabilities of naval units, enhance combat readiness and improve decision-making skills in a multi-threat environment while testing interoperability among participating forces.

According to the exercise schedule, combat readiness activities and live-fire training will take place from June 4-6, followed by operational scenarios in a multi-threat environment from June 7-10.

A distinguished visitors day will be held in the Gulf of Antalya on June 11, while port visits by participating vessels between June 12 and 14 will conclude the exercise.

The drill will also include the participation of several civilian institutions, including Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, the National Medical Rescue Team, the General Directorate of Forestry and the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay).

A series of live-fire demonstrations featuring domestically developed defense systems are planned during the exercise. Doğukanlı said the distinguished visitors day will include launches of the ATMACA anti-ship missile, the AKYA heavyweight torpedo and the HISAR-D naval air defense missile.

Naval helicopters will also conduct firing exercises with Penguin and TEMREN missiles as well as training torpedoes.

Bayraktar TB3 armed unmanned aerial vehicles operating from the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu are scheduled to fire MAM-L and MAM-T smart munitions.

For the first time in a Turkish military exercise, a total of eight guided missiles and one torpedo will be fired. The PIRANA kamikaze unmanned surface vessel will also conduct an attack on a surface target from a distance of 3.5 kilometers at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour.

Live-fire activities will be conducted against four real targets in a secured 2,488-square-nautical-mile area of the Eastern Mediterranean protected by 27 ships and four aircraft.

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An indictment by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara asks prison terms of between 35 years and life for Önder Sığırcıkoğlu, a former intelligence personnel accused of abducting two Syrian defectors and handing them over to the Baathist regime in Syria.

Sığırcıkoğlu was captured on the Syrian-Lebanese border, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced in March, in a joint operation with the post-Baathist Syrian intelligence.

He was accused of kidnapping Hussein Harmoush and Mustafa Kassoum, two commanders of the opposition Free Syrian Army, at the height of the Syrian civil war and handing them over to the oppressive Assad regime. Harmoush later died of torture by the Baathist regime. Sığırcıkoğlu was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in prison for “deprivation of liberty through force, threat, or deceit,” but he escaped from Osmaniye prison in southern Türkiye, where he was held in 2014. Subsequent investigation discovered that suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) helped him escape.

The indictment against him, released on Wednesday, charges Sığırcıkoğlu with political espionage. It says the suspect lived in several regions of Syria between 2014 and 2024, under the protection of the Assad regime and supplied information about MIT to Russian intelligence during that period.

In the indictment, it was stated that between the years 2014–2016, the defendant acted in concert with Mihraç Ural, the ringleader of the THKP-C/Acilciler terrorist group, and Yusuf Nazik, the perpetrator of the terror attack in the southern Turkish town of Reyhanlı, who was captured in 2018, and that during that period, he conducted a black propaganda campaign against Türkiye by giving interviews.

The indictment says that following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Sığırcıkoğlu first fled to Lebanon, then to Russia, and after living in Russia for a while, returned to Lebanon, where he was captured at the Syrian-Lebanese border.

In the indictment, which states that the defendant transferred information to foreign intelligence services that should have remained confidential for the security, internal, and external political interests of the State of the Republic of Türkiye, the following findings were included: “It has been understood that Sığırcıkoğlu began working within MIT in 1993, worked at this institution until 2012, and following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, was assigned to the refugee camps in the Yayladağı district of Hatay. It was determined that the defendant began transferring the information of Assad regime opponent refugees, which should have remained confidential for the interests of the state, along with institutional studies and MIT reports to the (Assad) regime intelligence, using the convenience provided by his duty to collect them.”

“It was determined that the defendant recorded his meeting with a Syrian tribal leader using a pen capable of audio and video recording and delivered it to Syrian intelligence, and that he ensured that Free Syrian Army (FSA) commanders Hormoush and Kassoum, with whom he established contact due to his duties, were abducted from Hatay in 2011 and delivered to the Syrian regime. It was established that while the suspect, whose actions contrary to Türkiye’s international positioning led the Assad regime to display force against opponents and put psychological pressure on refugees, was serving his sentence resulting from this incident, he took advantage of the travel permit granted in 2014 to report to an open prison, fled to Syria, and was welcomed there by regime intelligence.”

In the indictment, which states that Sığırcıkoğlu operated as an intelligence operative in various parts of Syria using the means allocated to him by the Assad regime after fleeing to Syria, it was reported that the defendant gave various information about MIT that should have remained confidential and, aiming to prove his loyalty to the regime, disclosed the names of some MIT personnel in an interview he gave to a journalist.

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The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will hold the 33rd edition of its traditional “Consultation and Assessment Meeting” between June 26 and June 28. The meeting, set to be held in the northwestern province of Sakarya, is somewhat of a summer camp for the party’s administrators, chairs of local branches and other top officials, where several topics are discussed thoroughly and the party charts its future moves.

Ahead of the two-day meeting, the party announced a reshuffle in four provinces. Chairpersons of the Adana, Diyarbakır, Giresun and Siirt provinces resigned over the past two days after the central administration asked them to do so. The party said it would soon announce its successors.

The camp, which will be held at a hotel in Kocaeli’s vacation destination Sapanca, will be an occasion where domestic and foreign policies will be discussed, along with the security strategies of Türkiye in the face of regional developments. The party members will also discuss the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which aims to disarm the terrorist group PKK, as well as work on a new constitution, media outlets reported.

In August, AK Party will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Evolved from a modest gathering of the “Movement of the Virtuous,” the party boasts a streak of successive election victories in two decades. It is credited with transforming Türkiye in the first two decades of the 2000s, from education and health care to the arts, democracy, human rights, defense industry and energy.

Nowadays, the party, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is working toward achieving the ambitious Century of Türkiye vision, a new set of reforms aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s standing in the world and improving the lives of the Turkish nation in all fields.

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