The atmosphere heading into the 7 and 8 July meetings is defined by a shift from traditional burden-sharing toward outright burden-shifting. While Nato chiefs committed last June to raising core defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, the Trump administration has signaled a potential drawdown of its military presence. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently confirmed a six-month review of US assets in Europe, leaving allies scrambling to fill the potential void.
Ankara Summit Puts EU Defense Autonomy to the Test
Donald Trump’s fresh demands for total alignment on Iran policy and his threats to pivot away from European security have cast a shadow over the upcoming Nato summit in Ankara. With Washington questioning the alliance's reciprocity, EU leaders face an urgent pressure to prove they can rearm without American support.
To mitigate this, the EU is accelerating its €800bn SAFE programme, aiming to decouple its industrial output from a reliance on US military hardware. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to prioritize these industrial ties during the summit, where a series of high-value procurement contracts are slated for signature. These deals represent a frantic attempt to bolster domestic manufacturing before US political support for the alliance erodes further.
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