Politics
Ankara gears up for historic NATO summit as schedule confirmed
The timetable for the July 6-8 NATO summit in Ankara was confirmed. The 36th edition of the event is a highly anticipated occasion for members of the military alliance, which appears to be falling out with the top contributor, the United States. President Donald Trump is among the most prominent guests of the event, while host President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to showcase Türkiye’s influence in the changing global order.
The summit will be inaugurated by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte with a news conference ahead of bilateral talks and main sessions. Rutte will speak to journalists at the International Media Center set up at the Presidential Complex at 3:45 p.m. local time on Monday.
On Tuesday, NATO Defense Industry Forum (NSDIF) will bring together representatives of member states and the defense industry at ATO Congresium, an international convention and exhibition center. Mark Rutte will inaugurate the forum at 10 a.m. local time. NATO’s official website says this will be the occasion where “Big Reveal” announcement will be made. Along with Rutte, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler will make keynote speeches at the forum. Member states and defense firms are also scheduled to sign various deals during the forum. Turkish media outlets reported that Rutte will also make a joint press statement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the forum.
At 5:30 p.m. local time, NATO’s foreign ministers will meet the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), a security partnership forum established in 2004 for enhancing bilateral cooperation with non-NATO members, particularly the Middle Eastern countries. The said countries were among those most affected by the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. The meeting will take place at the presidential complex. It will be followed by a social reception for NATO defense ministers at “Ayyıldız Headquarters,” the newly inaugurated headquarters of the Turkish army in the shape of a crescent and star.
At 6:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, President Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan will host heads of state and government and their spouses for a reception and dinner at the presidential complex. NATO-Ukraine Council foreign ministers will also meet on Tuesday as part of the summit, before a working dinner of defense ministers at the presidential complex.
Wednesday’s program will start with doorstep statements by Rutte and heads of state and government. The summit’s official welcoming ceremony will be held at 10:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday, and it will be followed by a family photo of participating leaders. Leaders will then head to a meeting. The summit will be concluded with a news conference by Rutte at 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, said in a social media post on Sunday that the summit would focus on the steps taken regarding the decision to increase defense investments, the alliance’s deterrence and defense efforts, “with a 360-degree point of view.” Duran said leaders would exchange views on threats, risks and challenges to the Euro-Atlantic region, the situation in Ukraine and developments “in the south of the alliance,” referring to the Middle East gripped by Israel’s expansionist campaign and the U.S.-Israel-Iran war that jeopardized fragile stability in the region. Duran said President Erdoğan was expected to hold bilateral talks with each leader attending the summit.
The summit is regarded as a critical turning point both for the future of the Alliance and for the shaping of the global security architecture. Held within the framework of the new strategic concept referred to as “NATO 3.0,” the Ankara summit is considered by many leaders and security experts to be one of the most significant summits in NATO’s history. It is expected to become the largest NATO summit ever held in terms of participation at the leaders’ level. President Trump was expected to skip the event as he often complained about insufficient contributions to the alliance by European members. Yet, he recently reaffirmed his participation, underlining that he wouldn’t attend if it wasn’t for Erdoğan.
To cover the summit, approximately 3,000 journalists, television crews, photojournalists, digital media representatives, and international broadcasting organizations from around the world have applied for accreditation. As a result, the summit is also set to become the NATO summit with the highest number of international media representatives ever recorded. Seven hotels have been designated in Ankara to accommodate international media representatives, while transportation will be provided by 45 buses. The media center has been equipped with comprehensive technical infrastructure, including approximately 1,800 workstations, nearly 100 live broadcast positions (54 of them permanent), interview areas, television studios, press mixers, wayfinding systems, 40 editing rooms, IPTV broadcasting facilities, and announcement screens. These facilities are described as the most comprehensive working environment ever created for media representatives at a NATO summit.
The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications will deploy a total of 850 personnel throughout the summit, 500 at the main venues and 350 for side events and crisis communications. Public broadcaster TRT, under the coordination of the Directorate of Communications, will oversee the summit’s international broadcasting operations. TRT will cover the summit with 96 cameras, 18 live broadcasting vehicles, and 26 separate broadcast locations. This operation is expected to become the most extensive broadcasting effort ever conducted for a NATO summit.
Throughout summit week, promotional activities will be carried out at approximately 5,000 outdoor advertising locations across Ankara. Billboards, digital displays, and other outdoor media will feature visuals prepared under four different concepts. In addition to NATO Summit messaging, the campaign will include content highlighting Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency, the country’s defense industry products, and the GoTürkiye tourism promotion campaign. This initiative is expected to represent the most comprehensive city branding campaign ever organized in connection with a NATO summit.
For summit security, a total of 56,288 personnel will be deployed, including 48,841 officers from the General Directorate of Security and 7,447 personnel from the Gendarmerie General Command. In addition, 639 personnel will conduct round-the-clock cyber patrol operations to combat cybercrime and enhance cybersecurity.
Participants will travel through three separate airports: Esenboğa Airport, Ankara Airport (an updated version of the Etimesgut military airport renovated and expanded exclusively for the summit), and Mürted Air Base, which will handle cargo aircraft operations.
Diplomatic stage for Türkiye
The summit is expected not only to bring together world leaders but also to serve as a diplomatic stage highlighting Türkiye’s growing influence within NATO. The summit is expected to simultaneously showcase Türkiye’s military contributions, defense industry, crisis management capabilities, and leadership diplomacy.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said that Türkiye is an important NATO ally with strong military capabilities and a strategic geographic position, adding that Lithuania highly values Türkiye’s solidarity with and contribution to security in the Baltic region.
In a written response to questions by Anadolu Agency (AA) ahead of the summit, Ruginiene said she expected the summit to reaffirm transatlantic unity and all allies’ strong commitment to fulfilling their obligations under the Washington Treaty. “In this context, increasing defense spending and developing defense capabilities are of great importance to ensure a credible deterrence and defense posture,” she said. Ruginiene said Russia remained the most direct long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and that the Russia-Ukraine war had further worsened Europe’s security environment, including for neighboring countries. The prime minister also condemned recent drone incursions from Russia and Belarus into Baltic airspace that affected NATO’s eastern flank.
Ruginiene said Lithuania expected the Ankara summit to make concrete progress toward the goal of allocating 5% of gross domestic product to defense, particularly by strengthening air defense capabilities to deter Russia and ensure a credible defense posture. “Strengthening the defense industry is among our priorities. Allies need to increase production capacity, accelerate innovation, and keep costs under control,” she said. Ruginiene said continued military support for Ukraine remained vital and that Kyiv had gained momentum on the battlefield through the contributions of all NATO allies. “Our message must be clear. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its military buildup and hybrid activities against allies have fundamentally changed Europe’s security environment,” she said. “There is no alternative to increasing defense budgets in this new threat environment. Security cannot be taken for granted,” she added.
Ruginiene said higher defense spending also created new economic and commercial opportunities for countries.
“As European allies assume greater responsibility, the transatlantic bond remains the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security. Even if the U.S. role changes, it will remain indispensable and cannot be replaced by any other actor,” she said.
The prime minister said the concept of a “European pillar” within NATO was, to some extent, misleading, stressing that every ally must meet its commitments to the alliance, whether on defense spending or capability targets.
“NATO is an integrated structure in which every ally matters. Strong allies mean a strong NATO,” she said.
Ruginiene said Lithuania remained a committed supporter of deeper transatlantic cooperation and a stronger NATO, adding that it shared U.S. concerns over a more balanced distribution of responsibilities within the alliance.
She welcomed Europe’s determination to strengthen its defense readiness after years of insufficient investment.
“A stronger and more capable Europe will make a positive contribution to global and transatlantic security and will further strengthen NATO,” she said.
Ruginiene said European Union defense initiatives and increased national defense spending would significantly boost Europe’s conventional military strength.
“The alliance will gain the military capacity needed to protect European and transatlantic interests and provide stronger deterrence against external threats,” she said.
On Türkiye’s role in the alliance, Ruginiene said: “Türkiye is an important NATO ally with strong military capabilities and a strategic geographic position. We highly appreciate Türkiye’s solidarity with and contribution to the security of the Baltic region.”
“At a time when the security environment is becoming increasingly challenging, particularly because of Russia’s military buildup and hybrid activities against allies, unity and effective cooperation are more important than ever,” she added.
Ruginiene said every ally had an important role in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities, increasing its resilience and ensuring the alliance remained prepared for all threats, whether conventional or hybrid.
Onno Eichelsheim, the Netherlands’ Chief of Defense, says Türkiye’s role in NATO will grow larger after the summit. Speaking to AA, Eichelsheim stated that they would need Türkiye as the United States retracts “some capabilities.”
Eichelsheim said he was impressed by the level of capability achieved by the Turkish defense industry and sees strong potential for cooperation between the two countries in this field.
Pointing out that the Ankara summit will mark several important milestones, Eichelsheim said: “The most important outcome that must emerge from this summit is that we deliver on the 3.5% commitment we made in The Hague. This summit should provide more detail and greater clarity about the next steps.”
Noting that his country’s preparations could serve as an example, Eichelsheim added: “We have prepared a White Paper and demonstrated our willingness to meet NATO’s 5% defense spending target.” Eichelsheim emphasized that another key issue is for European countries to begin assuming greater responsibility within NATO by filling the capability gaps left by the United States as it reduces certain contributions to the Alliance. “I believe this is another important turning point. From this perspective, the fact that Europeans are genuinely beginning to take on greater responsibility within the Alliance can be regarded as a historic moment.”
Referring to Türkiye’s role within the Alliance, Eichelsheim continued: “I believe Türkiye plays a very important role. It has always played a significant role within the Alliance. Because of its geographical location, it is the guardian of NATO’s southeastern flank. Although it performs this role together with some of its partners, Türkiye is the most important country in that region. Türkiye has NATO’s second-largest armed forces. As the United States withdraws some of its capabilities, we will also need Türkiye to help fill those gaps. Therefore, Türkiye’s role within NATO will become even greater. I have also seen that Türkiye is very willing to take on this role not only in its own region but in other parts of NATO as well. Türkiye has played a very important role up to now, and that role will become even more significant in the future.”
‘Allies in Ankara’
Türkiye’s leading think tank, the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), will collaborate with the Munich Security Conference for “Allies in Ankara,” a series of events at historic Ankara Palas simultaneously with the summit. The events will bring together ministers, high-ranking officials, and security experts from NATO member countries and other states.
For two days, the event hub will host a dynamic discussion and connection platform through a variety of panels, roundtable discussions, and side events. Burhanettin Duran is also expected to make a keynote speech at the event.
The “Looking Ahead to the Ankara Summit” event will host Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler in a session moderated by MSC CEO Benedikt Franke.
Other sessions include: “Beyond the Post-Cold War Order: Navigating an Era of Strategic Uncertainty,” “Steps Toward a Sustainable Future in the MENA-Gulf Region,” “Inside the Architecture: Türkiye’s Defense Industry as a Structural Asset for NATO” and “NATO’s Ankara Moment: From Consolidation to Burden Sharing.”
First Lady Emine Erdoğan on Tuesday said she was honored to welcome NATO leaders and their spouses to an official dinner held during the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, expressing hope that the gathering would strengthen dialogue and consensus as the alliance confronts growing global challenges.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğan hosted the official dinner on Monday evening at the Presidential Complex as part of the summit’s high-level program, bringing together heads of state, government leaders and their spouses attending the two-day NATO meeting.
In a statement shared on her NSosyal account, Emine Erdoğan reflected on Türkiye’s role as host and emphasized the importance of cooperation in addressing common international challenges.
“We were greatly pleased to host the heads of state and government and their esteemed spouses at the official dinner on the occasion of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, hosted by our country. At a time when efforts to find solutions to the world’s common problems are gaining momentum, I hope this important summit will further advance the culture of dialogue and consensus,” she said.
The 36th NATO Summit, held July 7-8 in Ankara, marks the second time Türkiye has hosted the alliance’s leaders following the 2004 summit in Istanbul.
The meeting has brought together leaders from NATO’s member states to discuss some of the alliance’s most pressing security and defense priorities.
Among the key issues on the agenda are increasing defense spending, expanding military production and industrial capacity, strengthening collective security, sharing defense responsibilities among allies, continuing support for Ukraine, and reinforcing alliance unity amid an increasingly volatile global security environment.
The summit has also provided a platform for a series of bilateral meetings between participating leaders. U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other NATO leaders are taking part in discussions centered on transatlantic security, European defense cooperation and regional stability.
Alongside the political meetings, the summit’s opening day featured a Defense Industry Forum, underscoring Türkiye’s expanding role in NATO’s defense industry and its position as one of the alliance’s key military contributors.
While the summit’s primary focus remains on defense and security policy, the official dinner and accompanying spouses’ program served as an important diplomatic event, highlighting the role of hospitality and informal engagement in fostering closer relations among allied nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to attend the NATO leaders’ summit, joining heads of state and government from across the alliance for talks expected to focus on collective defense, regional security and burden sharing.
Trump’s aircraft landed at Ankara Airport, where he was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before departing for the Presidential Complex where he was expected to hold talks with the president. On Air Force One, Trump was accompanied by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This was also the inaugural flight abroad for the new presidential plane gifted by Qatar with Trump aboard. Ankara Airport, originally Etimesgut Airport, was heavily modified and had its runways expanded specifically for leaders and delegations arriving for the NATO summit.
The two-day gathering is expected to bring together leaders from NATO’s 32 member states, with discussions set to cover defense spending, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the alliance’s deterrence posture and broader security challenges.
The U.S. president will hold one-on-one talks with Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in the capital, and U.S.-Turkish delegations will hold talks separately on the margins of the summit.
It was also reported that the agenda in the Erdoğan-Trump meeting will be diverse, but four topics will be the main items in discussions. These include the lifting of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions, Türkiye’s readmission to the F-35 program, the U.S. sale of engines for Türkiye’s locally made fighter jet Kaan and new defense projects.
Additionally, Trump and Erdoğan are expected to discuss boosting bilateral trade volume and possible collaboration on energy.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday held talks with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb as the latter arrived for a two-day NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
Later on Tuesday, Stubb will attend a dinner hosted by Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan in honor of the heads of state and government and their spouses.
Finland became a full member of NATO in 2023. It shares a long 1,340-kilometer (832.64-mile) border with Russia, the longest of any NATO ally, and has built its defense posture around that reality for decades, with the USSR’s successful invasion in 1939-1940 still long remembered. Its spending reflects post-Ukraine urgency and a long tradition of credible territorial defense.
Türkiye was instrumental in Finland’s membership of NATO, as well as in the admission of Sweden. Ankara initially objected to the memberships, conditioning that both countries should take more action to combat terrorism, and consented to their admission after Finland and Sweden demonstrated commitment to that extent.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, at the Presidential Complex on Tuesday as the latter arrived for bilateral talks and a key NATO summit in Ankara. While delivering comments, the U.S. president vowed that they would lift CAATSA sanctions.
Speaking alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex after arriving in Ankara for the NATO leaders summit, Trump said the time had come to remove sanctions that have strained relations between the two NATO allies.
“We’re going to lift the sanctions,” Trump said. “We don’t want to sanction our friends. I don’t want to choke my friend with sanctions.”
The sanctions were imposed under the U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after Türkiye purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, leading Washington to suspend Ankara from the multinational F-35 fighter jet program in 2019.
Asked whether Türkiye could rejoin the program, Trump praised Ankara as a reliable ally.
“Türkiye has been a much more loyal partner than many others,” he said.
Moreover, Trump also said he might not have attended the NATO summit had it not been hosted by Türkiye.
“Frankly, if this summit had not been held in Türkiye, and if my friend, a very strong leader, a very strong person, had not been here, I probably would not have come,” he underlined, referring to Erdoğan.
Calling Türkiye a militarily powerful country under Erdoğan’s leadership, Trump remarked that relations between Washington and Ankara were at their strongest point in years.
“I have great respect for President Erdoğan,” he said. “This is truly in the interest of both countries. I can say that our relationship with Türkiye is better now than it has ever been.”
Trump also defended U.S. spending within NATO, saying Washington had invested “trillions of dollars” in the alliance to protect European allies from security threats, including those posed by Russia.
The U.S. president was scheduled to attend the summit’s official dinner later Tuesday. On Wednesday, he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa before concluding his visit with a news conference and departing Ankara.
Trump’s arrival in Ankara
The two men, who often refer to each other as “friend,” first met on the tarmac of Ankara Airport, a military airport redesigned for Air Force One and other presidential planes. They later proceeded to the airport’s guest house and, later, to the Presidential Complex.
A ceremonial team of guardsmen dressed in historical costumes of Turkish states of the past, from Seljuks to Ottomans, attended the welcoming ceremony for Trump at the complex.
This is Trump’s first visit to Türkiye in his two presidential terms and the first by a sitting U.S. president after the end of the Biden administration. Erdoğan visited the White House last year, and the two leaders often hold phone calls in critical times, including the recent U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Trump, however, is no stranger to Türkiye, where skyscrapers bearing the name of his franchise tower over central Istanbul. He attended the opening ceremony of the towers in 2012, alongside Erdoğan, then prime minister.
Speaking to journalists before their meeting, the two leaders affirmed good ties and friendship. “We feel stronger now having my precious friend here in Ankara,” Erdoğan said.
“We are very good friends, you are a respected leader,” Trump said in turn. “We are going to talk about trade, military, Iran,” the U.S. leader said. Trump also expressed his frustration with NATO. “I was very disappointed with NATO. I am not sure they would be there for us. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they are not there for us?” he said.
On Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program, Erdoğan said he trusted Trump as “a man of his word.”
The Turkish president also said he will discuss engines for Türkiye’s indigenous Kaan fighter jet with Trump during the NATO leaders’ summit, adding he expects Trump to reiterate positive commitments.
In the aftermath of the ouster of Özgür Özel as chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the party’s divide between supporters of Özel and reinstated Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu continues to grow.
This is most evident in acts of vandalism at the party’s provincial branches, where pro-Özel chairs are replaced with pro-Kılıçdaroğlu ones.
Özel himself resisted evacuation from the party’s headquarters in May, and his loyalists followed his example in their refusal to vacate party offices in provinces.
Provincial chairpersons who made headlines for their criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu, who is often branded as a “traitor” for accepting the reinstatement, are being dismissed by the new administration gradually. Repeatedly emphasizing that it will not allow a dual power structure within the party, the Kılıçdaroğlu administration is appointing new provincial chairpersons to replace those who have been removed. With these appointments, tensions over the evacuation have shifted from the party headquarters to provincial offices.
In some provinces, party buildings are not being vacated, while in others, property inside provincial headquarters is being vandalized. Walls are being covered with profanity and insulting graffiti, and in many provinces, bank accounts, vehicles and official record books have not been handed over to the new administrations. It is alleged that Özgür Özel and his associates have promised parliamentary candidacies to former provincial chairpersons who, despite repeated calls for calm, continue to fuel unrest by refusing to comply.
During this process, the provincial headquarters in Izmir was taken over only after a confrontation involving kicking, punching and shouting obscenities. In Malatya, a building that had not been vacated was entered only with the assistance of a locksmith late at night. Supporters of Özel, who are accused of continuing unlawful actions, stormed the building and wrote the word “Traitor” over a poster of Kılıçdaroğlu. In Batman, it was revealed that the provincial headquarters had been thoroughly ransacked by the previous administration. In Çanakkale, the provincial headquarters has likewise not been vacated.
As in many other provinces, a chaotic situation is continuing at the Ankara provincial headquarters of the party. The former administration, which is accused of unlawfully occupying the building, has been paying individuals to stand guard during the night. In addition, as in many other provinces, the official record books and bank accounts have not been handed over to the new administration. Sources close to the Kılıçdaroğlu administration claimed that these transfers are being deliberately delayed because of suspicious financial transactions in the bank accounts. It is also claimed that former administrators across the country, who are vacating buildings under police supervision while staging what is described as “resistance demonstrations,” are attempting to create a new narrative of victimization through these incidents.
The Israeli and Greek air forces have resumed joint military exercises after a long pause over the Israeli wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, Israeli media outlets reported on Monday, a move that is expected to anger Greece’s neighbor Türkiye.
“The Air Force has returned to training with the Hellenic Air Force after a long period in which joint training did not take place due to the fighting,” Channel 12 said. It added that footage released by the Greek air force showed Israeli aircraft refueling Greek F-16 fighter jets during a flight over the Aegean Sea. “The cooperation between the Israeli and Greek air forces is not a random choice. It is part of a broader strategic plan taking shape in the region,” the channel said.
Türkiye is a major critic of Israel over its genocidal policy in Gaza and is wary of the Netanyahu administration’s expansionism across the region. As for Greece, Türkiye seeks common ground to improve ties, although the rapid pace of armament of Athens is a source of concern. The maritime borders in the Aegean are a major source of contention between Türkiye and Greece. Turkish officials have not commented yet on the joint drills. Türkiye is also following developments regarding multilateral ties between Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriots.
Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that Israel and its accomplices were engaged in starting “a fire” in the Mediterranean, especially the island of Cyprus, and said they were following the developments. Türkiye is a guarantor state on the divided island and recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). It has no ties to the Greek Cypriot administration based in parts of southern Cyprus. The president said, “some small circles whose ambitions are bigger than their size” have jumped on the Israeli bandwagon and served as “contractors of Zionism.” “They are chasing dreams in the Eastern Mediterranean. Let me be clear: Do not engage in adventures, do not ride on the tails of the Zionist network of murderers. Our response to the attempts at the rights and sovereignty of Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean will be clear and very strong,” he said.
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