NATO leaders in Ankara

Ankara (dpa) — The leaders of NATO’s 32 member countries arrive in Ankara on Tuesday for two days of talks focused on boosting Europe’s defence expenditure and capabilities as well as massive arms procurement deals, as the US pushes for more equal burden-sharing within the alliance.

The summit opens with a major defence industry fair aimed at helping allies translate rapidly rising military budgets into new capabilities and multibillion-dollar procurement deals.

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, NATO members committed last year to drastically increase their defence budgets from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, with an additional 1.5% of GDP earmarked for defence-related expenditure.

NATO leaders in Ankara

This year’s gathering will be focussed on translating those pledges into concrete commitments. Trump has continued to pressure allies, branding their defence spending as “ridiculous” just days before the summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is set to secure military aid pledges worth €140 billion ($160 billion), is due to join NATO leaders and hold a one-on-one meeting with Trump as he presses allies for additional air defence missiles and renewed efforts to revive stalled peace talks with Russia. NATO foreign and defence ministers are also due to hold informal talks over dinner.

On Wednesday, NATO leaders will reconvene for consultations focused on Europe taking on more responsibility for its own defence as the US shifts its focus to the Pacific and other regions.