Erdogan Leverages Trump’s Support Ahead of NATO Meeting

WHO:

DW.com - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is involved in efforts to maintain NATO unity.

AP News - President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are key figures in the upcoming NATO summit.

AP News - Vice President JD Vance is involved in discussions regarding military sales to Turkey.

AP News - German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is concerned about military capability gaps in Europe.

AP News - Claudia Major is a trans-Atlantic security expert at the German Marshall Fund.

WHAT:

DW.com - The NATO summit will take place in Ankara, bringing together leaders from NATO's 32 allied countries.

DW.com - European allies and Canada have increased defense spending by $1.2 trillion (€1 trillion) since 2017.

AP News - NATO's European members and Canada are expected to pledge €70 billion ($80 billion) in military aid to Ukraine at the summit.

AP News - Trump hinted at potential sales of F-35 fighter jets and F-110 jet engines to Turkey.

AP News - The U.S. State Department plans to bypass congressional opposition to more than $700 million in jet engine sales to Turkey.

WHERE:

DW.com - The NATO summit is set to occur in Ankara, Turkey.

AP News - The last U.S. president to visit Turkey was Barack Obama in 2015.

WHEN:

DW.com - The NATO summit is scheduled for July 7.

AP News - Trump is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Erdogan during the NATO summit.

WHY:

DW.com - Rutte aims to keep NATO united amid growing uncertainty due to tensions in the Middle East and Russia's war with Ukraine.

AP News - Erdogan is leveraging his relationship with Trump to secure U.S. presence at the NATO summit and avoid disarray in the alliance.

HOW:

DW.com - Rutte is using flattery and emphasizing NATO's benefits to the U.S. to keep Trump engaged.

AP News - Trump expressed that he would attend the summit out of respect for Erdogan, stating, “He called me up. He said: ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there.’”

(UPDATED July 4, 2026 17:20 UTC)

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is actively working to maintain unity within the alliance as the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, approaches on July 7. President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be key figures at the summit, where NATO's European members and Canada are expected to pledge €70 billion in military aid to Ukraine, while discussions around military sales to Turkey are also on the agenda. Rutte is employing flattery to keep Trump engaged, who has indicated he will attend the summit out of respect for Erdogan, stating, “He called me up. He said: ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there.’”