ANKARA — NATO allies plan to unveil tens of billions of dollars in new arms contracts at their Ankara summit, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on July 6, presenting the spending surge as evidence that Europe and Canada are meeting defence commitments aimed at reassuring U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump is due to join leaders from the 32-member alliance in the Turkish capital on July 7 after publicly criticising European responses to his actions in Iran. The summit arrives a year after NATO members agreed to increase security-related spending to five percent of GDP by 2035, a target set under pressure from the United States.
“Just one year later, we already see transformational progress,” Rutte told reporters, saying European allies and Canada are now investing about four percent of GDP in defence and security and will outline plans to reach the ultimate goal. To demonstrate that commitment, NATO has arranged a series of high-profile arms announcements at an industry forum running alongside the summit.
“We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend,” Rutte said. He noted that European allies and Canada raised core defence spending by nearly 20 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year, amounting to roughly US$258 billion in additional investment across 2025 and 2026.
Rutte framed the investments as necessary to protect societies amid real threats, including from Russia, and said European states are increasingly leading support for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend part of the summit. “Ukraine is changing the dynamics on the battlefield,” Rutte said, urging continued ally support, particularly in air defence.
European leaders are also seeking to avoid a public clash with the unpredictable U.S. president that could undermine NATO’s credibility. Diplomats are counting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rapport with Trump to help manage tensions.
Rutte declined to sidestep criticism of Turkish authorities for barring opposition media from attending the summit, stressing that NATO values media access to major events.