Turkey is hosting the 36th NATO Summit on July 7-8, 2026. The heads of state and government of the 32-member alliance will gather at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will chair the summit, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will serve as host. This will be Turkey's second NATO summit, following the 2004 Istanbul Summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be the summit's most notable guest, while US President Donald Trump will also attend. The agenda centers on implementing the defense spending decisions taken at the 2025 The Hague Summit, boosting defense industry production, and continuing support for Ukraine.
Day-by-day program
According to NATO's official calendar, the summit will conclude with the main leaders' session on July 8, following a day of preparatory and forum events.
Monday, July 6
- 16:45 – Secretary General Mark Rutte's pre-summit press conference (International Media Center)
Tuesday, July 7: Defense Industry Forum and Arrivals
- 10:00 – High-level announcements at the NATO Defense Industry Forum (ATO Congresium)
- 12:45 – Rutte's opening speech at the Forum; Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler also attending
- 14:00 – Joint statement by Rutte and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
- 17:00 – Meeting of foreign ministers with Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) partners
- 17:30 – Defense ministers' reception
- 18:30 – Dinner for heads of state and government and their spouses
- 19:45 – NATO-Ukraine Council working dinner (at foreign minister level)
- 20:15 – North Atlantic Council working dinner (at defense minister level)
Wednesday, July 8: Main Summit Session
- 08:00 – Secretary General's doorstep statement
- 08:15 – Doorstep statements by allied heads of state and government
- 10:45 – Leaders' arrival ceremony
- 11:00 – Official family photo
- 11:15 – Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at heads of state and government level (main summit session)
- 15:00 – Secretary General's closing press conference
NATO stated that the timings and content of the program may change.
Key items on the table
Secretary General Rutte defines the Ankara summit less as setting new goals than as implementing the decisions taken in The Hague. At its core is the allies' commitment to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense and security spending by 2035. This ratio splits into at least 3.5% for core defense and 1.5% for broader security investments, with a review of the balance planned for 2029.
Increasing defense industry production is one of the summit's prominent themes. The NATO Defense Industry Forum on July 7 is billed as the alliance's most comprehensive industry gathering to date, aiming to turn commitments into actual production.
Support for Ukraine is also high on the agenda. European allies and Canada are expected to pledge approximately €70 billion ($80 billion) in military aid for 2026, and at least an equivalent amount for 2027. However, it is noted that this package largely consolidates existing programs and that the US is not part of it. Allies are expected to reaffirm Ukraine's irreversible path to membership without providing a new timeline.
In the draft declaration being worked on by the alliance, Russia is characterized as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Leaders are expected to reiterate the mutual defense commitment under Article 5, emphasizing that an attack on one is an attack on all.
Who is attending
Leaders of all 32 member states will attend the summit. US President Donald Trump's participation has been one of the most talked-about developments; Trump has said he attributes his visit to Ankara to his respect for President Erdoğan. On the European side, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be in Ankara.
The summit also hosts numerous non-member guests. The European Union will be represented by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa. Among Indo-Pacific partners, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will attend at leader level. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not come due to the parliamentary schedule, and her country will be represented by ministers. Gulf ICI partners and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are also among the invitees. In total, around 6,000 people are expected to attend the summit, with nearly 3,000 journalists having applied for accreditation.
Turkey's hosting role and defense industry showcase
The Ankara summit will also serve as a defense industry showcase for Turkey. Secretary General Rutte said the first day would effectively be a defense industry day, with tens of billions of dollars in contracts, memorandums of understanding, and letters of intent possibly signed. Turkey's defense industry ecosystem, comprising around 3,000 companies—with ASELSAN's Steel Dome air defense architecture, as well as Baykar, Roketsan, and TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries) standing out—is positioned as a production hub for the alliance.
The International Media Center has been set up in the Nation's Library, adjacent to the Complex, featuring around 1,500 workspaces and 40 editing suites. Turkey presents the summit under the theme "Shared Future through Solidarity," as a symbol of its transformation from a border country on the alliance's southeastern flank into a central, indispensable ally.
Security and city arrangements in Ankara
Extensive security measures have been put in place in Ankara for the summit. Around 40,000 security personnel have been deployed in the city; red zones have been established around airports, the Complex, and delegation hotels, and airspace restrictions have been imposed. Roads around the Complex will be closed to traffic from 07:00 on July 7 until midnight on July 8. The Ankara Governorate has banned meetings, demonstrations, and marches in the city from July 1-15, while public employees have been granted administrative leave and some exams have been postponed.
