Five key takeaways from the NATO summit in Ankara

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) acme has travel to a adjacent successful Turkiye’s capital.

The two-day league arrived astatine a peculiarly tumultuous clip for the alliance, pursuing the United States and Israel’s three-month warfare connected Iran, US President Donald Trump’s habitual denigrations of allies, and escalating fears successful Europe implicit Russia’s subject capabilities.

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As expected, NATO defence budgets and enactment for Ukraine topped the agenda, with the confederation pledging 70 cardinal euros ($80bn) successful assistance to Kyiv and promising to support expanding defence spending.

“What this leads to is simply a NATO which is genuinely transformed,” said Secretary General Mark Rutte Wednesday. “If you look astatine it from the United States perspective, you volition person European allies which are overmuch much susceptible to, with the US, enactment unneurotic successful NATO to support 1 cardinal radical safe.”

Trump meantime hailed a “very successful” acme characterised by “tremendous unity”, portion big Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the meetings “historic”.

But the league was besides roiled by unexpected ruptures – namely Trump declaring that Washington’s memorandum of knowing (MoU) with Tehran was “over” and asserting, aft months of comparative quiescent connected the topic, that the US should power Greenland.

Here are 5 cardinal takeaways from the summit:

Trump says MoU with Iran is ‘over’

The Iran warfare already loomed ample implicit the acme arsenic 1 of the superior causes of recent strains betwixt the US and its allies.

But the fragility of the ceasefire itself took centre signifier aft the US launched dozens of strikes connected Iran aboriginal Wednesday, claiming retaliation for Tehran’s attacks connected commercialized ships the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump told reporters Wednesday greeting that the MoU with Tehran was “over” earlier firing disconnected a bid of insults.

“They’re led by sick people. They’re vicious, convulsive people, and if they had a atomic weapon, they’d usage it,” the US president said. “As acold arsenic I’m concerned, it’s over.”

In his last remarks aboriginal that day, however, Trump said helium did not deliberation the warfare would commencement successful earnest again, adding that the US is “not looking for long-term” conflict.

Back location successful Washington, critics of the warfare connected Iran were quick to impeach Trump of botching the talks. But NATO’s Rutte told reporters the strikes were “absolutely necessary”.

“Iran is fundamentally violating the ceasefire,” helium said. “We spot what happened yesterday with ships being attacked. I deliberation it is wholly important that the US forcefully reacts.”

NATO’s last declaration called connected Iran to respect state of navigation done the Strait of Hormuz, and reiterated that Iran indispensable not beryllium permitted to get a atomic weapon.

Defence spending

Under escalating pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed to summation defence spending and make the alliance’s military-industrial capacities, including aerial and rocket defence.

The commitments included “more than $50 cardinal successful caller procurements”, the NATO declaration said, with an oculus to “deep precision strike, integrated aerial and rocket defence, uncrewed systems, cutting borderline technologies, and quality capabilities”. It besides cited “an interoperable transatlantic warfighting unreality and adopting almighty AI models”.

Still, NATO data shows that lone 5 of NATO’s 32 members are projected to conscionable the alliance’s extremity of spending 3.5 percent of their gross home merchandise connected halfway defence successful 2026.  

Members agreed to hike halfway spending up from 2 percent during a acme successful The Hague past year, portion besides spending 1.5 percent of GDP connected broader defence-related investments. Seventeen members are projected to deed the 1.5 percent goal.

The mean halfway defence expenditure successful NATO Europe and Canada was 2.3 percent of GDP successful 2025, which climbed to 2.53 truthful acold successful 2026. The US reported 3.17 percent.

Trump said astatine the summit’s adjacent that immoderate countries are “making large progress”.

“Many of these countries are precise rich, by the way, we don’t person to consciousness atrocious for them,” helium said, adding that respective “have genuinely answered the call”.

Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said that Trump appeared “satisfied” with NATO’s response.

Ukraine assistance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conducted a relentless bid of meetings connected Tuesday and Wednesday arsenic helium rallied enactment for Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

The confederation dedicated a sizable chunk of its declaration to Ukraine and the wider menace posed by Russia, pledging 70 cardinal euros ($80bn) successful subject equipment, assistance and grooming for Ukraine and affirming “sovereign commitments to sustaining astatine slightest equivalent levels successful 2027”.

NATO said the allies “stand agreed successful our unwavering enactment for Ukraine successful defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity”.

The acme besides saw immoderate bonhomie betwixt Zelenskyy and Trump, who addressed reporters unneurotic up of a gathering connected the sidelines.

Trump said the US would springiness Ukraine the close to nutrient Patriot rocket systems, which are costly and successful precocious demand.

Such a determination would beryllium a immense boost for Kyiv, which precocious asked for a licence to manufacture the missiles domestically successful Ukraine.

“We’ll amusement them however to bash it,” Trump said. “I deliberation they tin nutrient them beauteous quickly.”

Zelenskyy wrote connected X aft the gathering that helium was “grateful”, saying that helium and Trump “spoke astir immoderate ⁠ideas that could fortify ⁠our positions and bring bid closer”.

Zelenskyy besides said helium inked bilateral drone deals with respective nations, with much nether way.

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for bilateral talks during the NATO Summit connected July 08, 2026 successful Ankara, Turkiye. [Win McNamee/Getty Images]

Renewed tensions implicit Greenland

The warfare connected Iran seemed to person concisely quelled Trump’s quest to instrumentality implicit Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory successful the Arctic.

Yet helium returned to his Greenland refrain passim the two-day summit, claiming Greenland is “very important” for the US “but it’s not important for Denmark”.

“In fact, erstwhile Denmark was overrun by the Nazis successful little than 1 time – Hitler bushed them retired successful 1 day, took implicit – they ‌asked ‌us to instrumentality attraction of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and past stupidly, we gave it back,” Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated connected respective occasions that Greenland is not for sale. “We are acceptable to support each inch of NATO, including our ain territory,” she said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks with the media arsenic she arrives successful Ankara, July 8, 2026. [AFP]

The EU besides waded successful to affirm that “decisions astir the aboriginal of Greenland are for Greenlanders and Danes”.

“Territorial integrity, nationalist sovereignty and inviolability of borders are cardinal principles of planetary law,” EU spokesperson Olof Gill said.

Nonetheless, Rutte said Trump “has a point” that China and Russia are seeking increasing sway successful the Arctic.

“So, it is important that, arsenic an Alliance – and this is what we agreed successful Davos – enactment unneurotic to marque definite that doesn’t happen,” helium said.

Trump rails against effect to warfare connected Iran

Although helium lavished praise connected his host, Turkiye’s Erdogan, the US president utilized astir of his media appearances to bash different allies who helium said were unhelpful successful the US-Israel warfare connected Iran.

“I’m precise upset with NATO,” helium told reporters up of Wednesday’s main session, adding that members “didn’t privation to assistance america with the fig 1 authorities sponsor of terror, that’s Iran”.

“Spain is simply a wasted cause. We don’t privation to bash immoderate commercialized concern with Spain immoderate more,” helium said, telling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut it off”.

Trump continued to laic into Spain passim the day, declaring Madrid “has been precise bad”. He besides singled retired the United Kingdom.

Unlike Spain, which did not authorise the US to usage its bases for operations against Iran, Downing Street said successful March Washington could usage its bases “in the corporate self-defence of the region”.

Still, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeatedly said the UK would not get pulled into the war.

Trump called the UK’s attack “weird”.

“This is not successful the tone of Winston Churchill,” Trump said.