European allies seek to win Trump’s favor at the “Ankara Summit”

NATO leaders are meeting at a summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to review the increase in defense spending, in an effort to calm US President Donald Trump, who is angry about Europe’s reaction to the war with Iran.

This two-day meeting at the Turkish Presidential Palace comes a year after NATO member states pledged to increase security-related spending to 5% of their GDP, under pressure from the US President.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that European countries are “fulfilling” their promises by strengthening military budgets and moving to assume greater responsibility for defending their continent against Russia. Rutte told reporters in Ankara on the eve of the summit: “After only one year has passed, we have begun to witness tangible, transformative progress.”

In an effort to win Trump’s favor, NATO prepared a series of numbers and statistics to do so, while a high-ranking European diplomat said on condition of anonymity, “It is time for a show.”

During a defense industries forum prior to the start of the main summit, the leaders are scheduled to unveil new arms deals worth tens of billions, in order to prove their commitment to their promises before Trump. In confirmation of this trend, Canada announced its selection of the German company Thyssengroup Marine System to build its new fleet of submarines, a program valued at billions of dollars. Ottawa described it as part of broader efforts to deepen defense relations with European NATO allies.

But Trump, who is still upset after European countries imposed restrictions on American forces using their bases to attack Iran, spent the period leading up to the summit attacking the allies for not moving quickly enough to satisfy him. Trump wrote on his platform “Truth Social” last week: “It is ridiculous for the United States to continue on this unilateral path while the relationship is not mutual. They did not stand by our side when we needed them!!!”

At the very least, European leaders aspire to avoid any clash or sharp disagreement with the “volatile” US president, which could constitute another blow to NATO’s credibility, especially after Trump repeatedly questioned the United States’ commitment to protecting its allies. Diplomats are counting on Trump’s good relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and on the intense and unlimited courtship campaign led by Rutte to keep his mood from souring.

But with Trump’s previous disagreements with a series of other leaders, the most recent of which is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, there are many provocative issues that could ignite his anger.

In an effort to demonstrate their desire to cooperate, the European allies led by France and Britain formed a possible naval mission to help secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and several countries moved warships to be closer to the region, with the aim of preparing for any emergency.

While they hope that Trump will adopt a conciliatory tone, European leaders are beginning to accept that the United States is inevitably retreating from its alliance with them.

Washington has been clear in its desire for its allies to take the lead in the conventional defense of the continent, and it recently announced a reduction in the military assets and capabilities that it places at the disposal of NATO leaders. European countries will seek to prove their readiness to play a greater role, and at the same time, they will work hard to keep Trump and the enormous power of the US military as involved in the alliance as possible.

Rutte said: “All of this is evidence of a real shift in mentality. This is NATO in its third version (NATO3.0). “A stronger Europe with a stronger NATO.”

In addition to bearing greater responsibility for their joint defense, European countries have assumed almost complete support for Ukraine, at a time when Trump has reduced US aid, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will receive a commitment from his European supporters in NATO to continue the flow of military aid to Kiev of no less than 70 billion euros ($80 billion) annually during the years 2026 and 2027.