NATO summit opens in Ankara under pressure from US tensions

NATO leaders are gathering in Ankara this week with the alliance facing sharp pressure over US commitment, European defence readiness and long-term support for Ukraine. The two-day summit, due to begin Tuesday, comes after US President Donald Trump renewed criticism of allies and warned against what he called an unequal relationship.

Trump wrote late last week that it was “ridiculous” for the United States to stay on a “one sided path” when, in his view, the relationship was not reciprocal. He added: “They were not there for us!!!”

NATO says the summit will focus on three areas: higher defence investment, a larger European defence industrial base and sustained military aid for Ukraine. The war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Iran conflict are expected to dominate talks among the alliance’s 32 leaders.

The meeting also follows a pledge by allies last year to lift defence spending to the equivalent of 5 percent of gross domestic product. NATO says European allies and Canada raised defence investment by $139bn in nominal terms in 2025.

Trump’s position has added uncertainty to the talks. He has threatened to pull the US out of NATO and has moved to reduce the American military footprint in Europe. On May 1, the Pentagon announced that about 5,000 US troops would leave Germany after what it described as a review of its force posture in Europe.

Ian Lesser, a distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the alliance is under strain but has not reached a rupture. “I don’t think the alliance is at a breaking point,” he said. “But it is entering a period of profound adjustment.”

The recent conflict with Iran has further strained relations between Washington and European allies. Trump has repeatedly faulted European governments for declining to support US military efforts, including moves tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Defence spending remains another point of dispute. Trump said Thursday that Washington spends more on NATO than any other member to protect allies “without getting any benefit from doing so.”

Experts cited in the report said a formal US withdrawal from NATO remains unlikely in the near term because of legal and political barriers. Trump would need either a two-thirds majority in the US Senate or an act of Congress, and NATO continues to have broad support among lawmakers in both major US parties.

Lesser said continued US involvement in European security remains a widely held view in Washington. “It’s in the US interest to stay engaged in Europe’s security and maintain a key role in NATO – and this is a view shared on both aisles in Washington,” he said.

Sophia Besch, a senior fellow in the Europe Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said European governments have lowered expectations for a return to past levels of trust with Washington. She said they are seeking more predictability as the US role changes.

“The one thing they still dare hope for is greater predictability,” Besch said. “They have accepted that the American commitment to Europe is changing; what they want is a more orderly version of the transition.”

European governments have already raised military spending. The Council of the European Union says defence spending among European allies increased by 62 percent between 2020 and 2025.

Major gaps remain, according to the International Institute for Security Studies. The institute says European countries still depend heavily on the US for long-range strike systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, satellite assets, logistics, and integrated air and missile defence.

The IISS estimates that replacing the most critical US conventional military capabilities would cost about $1 trillion and could take at least a decade. It also says Europe’s defence industry faces production limits, while many armed forces are struggling to recruit and retain personnel.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.