NATO summit begins in Turkiye’s Ankara: Who is attending, what is at stake?

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🗞️ Driving the news: The NATO 2026 summit is underway in Ankara, Turkiye, with leaders from all 32 member states, as well as Ukraine, South Korea, and several partner nations, convening amid debates over defence spending, alliance cohesion, and security support for Ukraine

🔭 The context: The summit follows last year’s agreement to increase NATO defence spending to 5% of GDP, with European nations now set to announce billions in military contracts
• Trump has renewed pressure on allies to share costs, while tensions over U.S. troop deployments and airpower reductions highlight the alliance’s strategic and political balancing act
• Ukraine seeks additional Patriot missile systems amid ongoing Russian attacks

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Increased military spending and arms deployments have environmental implications, including higher greenhouse gas emissions and resource-intensive production of weapons systems
• The summit’s decisions will influence defense-related energy use, carbon footprints of European and U.S. military operations, and long-term sustainability of alliance logistics.

⏭️ What’s next: Key outcomes include formalizing Europe’s defence procurements, potential support packages for Ukraine, and NATO messaging on unity and deterrence
• Discussions will also influence the deployment of U.S. forces in Europe and the pace at which new capabilities come online

💬 One quote: “Ankara is more about reassurance and signalling than about concrete, immediate changes on the ground.” – Paolo von Schirach, Global Policy Institute

📈 One stat: 5% of GDP – the NATO target for defence spending agreed last year, encompassing 3.5% on military capabilities and 1.5% on security-related needs

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