‘This might be the tensest summit yet’: Carney to meet NATO allies amid Trump threats

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at a working lunch with leaders of G7 and the Middle East, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Photo by Pool /Getty Images

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Turkey this week with a message that Canada is now pulling its weight in the alliance and ready to do what it takes to get to its ambitious spending target set for 2035.

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But Canada’s increased defence spending will without a doubt be overshadowed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s musings in Ankara, whether they are about Iran, Greenland, or leaving NATO altogether.

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“I think this might be the tensest summit yet,” said Stephen Saideman, head of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

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“On the one hand, (Trump) expects NATO to jump and dance whenever he demands. On another hand, NATO countries paid a real price for this failed war in Iran,” he said.

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Trump has consistently threatened to pull out of NATO since his return to office, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte resorting to flattery to convince him to stay in the alliance.

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Rutte has referred to Trump as “daddy,” though he has said stemmed from an awkward translation.

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Lately, the NATO chief has attempted to woo the president with the “Trump trillion.” In Washington, Rutte pulled out a chart showing that Europe and Canada have added more than a trillion dollars in defence spending since Trump first came into office in 2017.

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Robert Baines, President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada, said he expects a repeat of Rutte’s “teacher moment” during this summit to “appease” the U.S. President.

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“I think the only challenge is going to be making sure the Secretary-General doesn’t bend over too far backwards,” Baines said, adding that the “daddy” comment and the constant appeasement to satisfy Trump have left a “bad taste” in some people’s mouths.

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Trump came out swinging again against the alliance just last week, writing on Truth Social that it is “ridiculous” that the U.S. is spending more money on NATO than any other country, by far. He has also complained allies have not helped him in the war in Iran.

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Trump has not abandoned either his idea of taking over Greenland, a prospect that is bound to increase tension among European allies. One of Trump’s allies, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, said the president was still mulling over that idea just days ago.

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Saideman said NATO’s goal is to make sure the alliance survives the week. Canada’s will be to avoid being targeted with insults.

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Notably, Trump has not singled out Canada over its defence spending in the lead-up to this year’s meeting with NATO allies, although he has done so in the past.

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Canada announced earlier this year it had achieved NATO’s two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) defence spending commitment after reclassifying the Canadian Coast Guard’s budget as national defence and giving a substantial pay raise to military personnel.

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Thanks to billions of investments in infrastructure such as ports and air bases and major procurement decisions, including new submarines, Carney recently said the country is on track to meet NATO’s next commitment of spending five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.