NATO leaders gather in Ankara to smooth tensionssmooth tensions with Trump over defense spending
NATO leaders will meet next Tuesday and Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey, to reaffirm European defense spending pledges aimed at deterring Russia. The gathering seeks to reduce political tensions with US President Trump by demonstrating that allies are honoring arms deal commitments totaling tens of billions of dollars.
Western Diplomatic View
Western leaders view the Ankara summit as a necessary diplomatic effort to reaffirm European commitment to NATO's defense pledges and prevent further rifts with a potentially isolationist US administration under Trump.
- Turkey has hosted NATO summits since the alliance moved its focus toward the Middle East following the 2011 intervention in Libya.
- Donald Trump previously demanded European nations pay 20 percent more for NATO defense costs during his first term as president.
- Ankara is built on seven hills and has been a strategic capital for the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires before becoming modern Turkey's capital.
