NATO Allies Face Pressure to Deliver Defense Spending Roadmaps

NATO is gearing up for its July summit in Ankara, Turkiye, where defense spending and burden sharing will dominate the agenda. Donald Trump, who pushed allies in 2025 to commit to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense and related items by 2035, expects member states to deliver concrete roadmaps showing how they will reach that benchmark.

Most members agreed to the target, though Spain secured an exemption. Currently, only Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia either meet the 5 percent benchmark or have credible paths toward it, leaving the majority of the alliance with significant ground to cover before the summit. US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker characterized the Ankara gathering as a report card for European defense spending.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking at a press conference in Montenegro, expressed optimism about the alliance's trajectory and noted that Trump's reelection played a significant role in driving recent spending increases across the bloc. Beyond burden sharing, the summit will also address continued support for Ukraine, alliance-wide air defense cooperation, and the strategic implications of the ongoing war with Iran.