NATO — the military alliance of 32 countries led by the United States and Europe — is holding its biggest annual meeting in Turkey's capital, Ankara, on July 7, 2026. The leaders of all member countries, plus officials from friendly nations in the Middle East and Asia, will gather to discuss how much each country is spending on defense and whether the alliance is still united.

Reuters reported on 30 June that the meeting will include not just NATO members but also officials from Gulf states and Asian partners. This has become common since 2022 — NATO now invites friendly nations whose security interests overlap with the alliance's own.

Turkey's Big Moment

This is only the second time Turkey has hosted a NATO summit. The first was in Istanbul in 2004 — more than 20 years ago. Turkey had plenty of notice: NATO announced in August 2025 that Ankara would be the host, giving officials a full year to prepare.

Turkey is using this opportunity to show the world that it matters. The Turkish government said in June 2026 that it wanted to make this summit "a reference point in the history of NATO." Turkey's foreign minister linked the NATO summit to other major international meetings Turkey is hosting this year, suggesting Turkey is now a key player in world diplomacy.

Turkey has made one thing clear: it wants NATO members to show they are united and committed to the alliance.

Will the United States Show Up?

Before the summit even started, there was a big question: Would US President Trump attend? The Washington Post reported on 3 July that diplomats had been wondering about this for weeks.

Why does it matter if one person attends? Because NATO makes decisions only when all members agree. If the US — the most powerful member — looks disengaged or unhappy, it sends a message that the whole alliance might be in trouble. Reporters have called this summit "a test of NATO unity," and they mean it literally: the final statement coming out of Ankara will show whether all 32 countries truly stand together or whether cracks are showing.

How Much Are Countries Spending on Defense?

One of the main topics at the summit is how much money each NATO country is spending on military equipment, soldiers, and defense. NATO has set a goal: each member should spend at least 5% of its national income (what economists call GDP) on defense.

The summit program includes a special forum on defense spending. Think of it as a scorecard. Some European countries have already increased their military budgets a lot since 2022. Others have not. The forum gives officials a chance to compare notes and put pressure on countries that are falling behind.

Why this matters: NATO leaders will want to know if the alliance is actually getting stronger, or just talking about it. The statements they release after the Ankara summit will be read very carefully in Moscow and Beijing to figure out whether NATO members are truly committed to defending each other.