ANKARA, Türkiye: NATO Ankara summit talks will open with a push to turn higher defense spending into military capabilities, Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday.
Rutte told a pre-summit news conference that allies must translate financial resources into missiles, interceptors and other defence hardware.
He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team for hosting alliance leaders at what he called a “fantastic venue.”
Rutte said Türkiye remained important to NATO’s future security strategy because of its geography and leadership inside the alliance.
NATO heads of state and government will meet in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance’s 2026 summit.
The two-day summit will focus on implementing defense spending commitments agreed at the 2025 summit.
Read: NATO Ankara Summit to Test Defense Pledges
Leaders will also discuss sustained military support for Ukraine and expanded defence industrial production.
The summit comes amid renewed debate over transatlantic burden-sharing and continued uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to participate in summit events.
