ANKARA, July 7 — North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) leaders plan to unveil arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara, Turkiye, on Tuesday to show they are heeding the United States (US) calls to spend more on defence in Europe before joining President Donald Trump for a summit.
European governments will announce the deals at a NATO defence industry forum before Trump flies in to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and join fellow leaders of the military alliance for the summit, which begins with a dinner on Tuesday evening.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Europeans had made “staggering” increases in defence spending in part due to fears of Russia, which have surged since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but also because Trump had been “extremely forceful” in encouraging them to do so.
The President has long accused European governments of over-relying on the US to defend them through NATO, which has protected the continent since the early years of the Cold War.
“We are now creating an alliance which is sustainable, where the US knows it is a fair deal,” Rutte told the media in Ankara on the eve of the summit.
Last month, he said that NATO's European members and Canada spent US$90 billion (RM367 billion) more on defence in real terms in 2025 than in 2024, bringing total spending to more than US$570 billion (RM2.32 trillion) — an increase of around 20 per cent in a single year.
Iran war prompted Trump to revive criticism of NATO
But Trump has renewed harsh criticism of fellow NATO members in recent months, accusing them of failing to do enough to help the US in its war with Iran and suggesting he could quit the alliance or disregard its mutual defence pact.
European officials insist they largely honoured commitments to let the US use their airspace and bases in their countries, despite not having been consulted about a war that roiled their economies and was deeply unpopular in Europe.
Washington has also announced troop withdrawals from Europe, cut the forces it assigns to NATO’s defence plans — including an aircraft carrier, refuelling aircraft, fighter jets, and drones — and launched a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.
European officials say they are braced for a repeat of some of Trump’s recent criticism at the summit but hope Erdoğan and Rutte will use their close relationships with the President to keep the summit on an even keel.
But they say they cannot be sure of a positive outcome, given lingering tensions over Greenland and Iran, and Trump's volatile relationship with some leaders, most recently seen in a feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Defence deals under wraps
Details of the arms deals to be announced on Tuesday have been kept under wraps as part of NATO's effort to make a public relations splash ahead of the summit.
But Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz told Reuters on Monday her country would announce deals and plans worth more than €3 billion (RM13.99 billion), including partnerships with Belgium on air defence and the United Kingdom on naval ships.
Four sources told Reuters last week that NATO also plans to announce it will replace its ageing fleet of US-built AWACS surveillance aircraft with a Swedish alternative, Saab's GlobalEye.
