Trump won spending promises from NATO last year. This week, he'll try to enforce them

NATO Summit in Turkey to Address Defense Spending Targets and Security Issues

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump secured agreement from NATO allies at the 2025 summit in The Hague for members to increase defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product over the next decade. This week he travels to Turkey to review progress on those commitments during meetings with alliance leaders.

The target sets 3.5 percent for core military expenditures and the remainder for related costs such as infrastructure. Spain indicated at the time it could not reach the levels, and several other members expressed reservations about the timeline. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker stated that the administration expects allies to begin moving toward the goal without delay.

Trump departs for the Ankara summit on Monday evening. In advance of the trip he has noted differences in defense outlays between the United States and other members. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presented data during a June Oval Office meeting showing cumulative increases in allied spending commitments since 2017.

Luke Coffey of the Hudson Institute described the Ankara meeting as an opportunity for leaders to present plans for meeting the targets. The summit agenda also includes the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, and discussions on regional security matters.

Meetings scheduled with Ukraine and Syria

Trump will hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. He spoke by telephone with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 4. The White House has indicated the Ukraine conflict will receive attention during the gathering.

Trump also plans a sidelines discussion with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The White House has not detailed specific objectives, though Trump has suggested Syria could assume a larger role against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Al-Sharaa, who previously led an insurgent group that participated in the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, has stated he does not intend to take on that mission.

A separate meeting is set with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is hosting the event. No other bilateral sessions with individual leaders are currently scheduled.

Relations with European leaders

Following the G7 summit in France last month, Trump commented on the performance of several European heads of government. He stated that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would step down, citing shortcomings on immigration and energy policy. He also posted on social media a photograph of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which prompted a denial from her office and the cancellation of a planned visit by Italy’s foreign minister.

Trump has maintained separate exchanges with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Trump for a dinner at the Palace of Versailles in June. A bipartisan Senate delegation is attending the Ankara summit to underscore congressional support for the alliance.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who leads the group, said the delegation aims to reinforce ties that benefit national security and economic interests. Other members of the delegation have expressed similar views on the value of sustained alliance cooperation.

Administration proposals on alliance structure

The Trump administration has outlined a concept referred to as NATO 3.0, under which European members would assume greater responsibility for their own defense, permitting the United States to redirect resources. Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby presented elements of the approach to NATO defense ministers earlier this year.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed counterparts last month that the United States will conduct a six-month review of its military posture in Europe. Earlier in the year Trump announced both the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from the continent and the subsequent deployment of a comparable number to Poland.

Spending increases and remaining dependencies

Allied governments have raised defense budgets in response to the 2025 agreement, though experts note continued reliance on U.S. capabilities for full territorial defense under Article 5. Liana Fix of the Council on Foreign Relations stated that most European members remain short of independent capacity to respond to a major attack without American support.

In addition to spending measures, NATO launched the Arctic Sentry exercise earlier this year to monitor Russian and Chinese activity in northern regions. The drill also addresses security considerations related to Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory.

The original Hague agreement emerged from negotiations among all members rather than unilateral direction. Data presented by Rutte documented spending growth across multiple years preceding the current target. The Ankara sessions will provide an occasion for governments to report on implementation steps and any adjustments required by national budgets.

Senators traveling with the bipartisan delegation have noted that Congress has maintained consistent funding levels for U.S. contributions to NATO operations. Administration officials have pointed to the 5 percent target as a means of distributing costs more evenly. Both perspectives will be represented during the week’s discussions in Turkey.

The summit occurs against a backdrop of ongoing diplomatic activity involving Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey. Outcomes on spending timelines and force posture reviews are expected to shape alliance planning documents through the remainder of the decade.