What Ukraine Expects from the July NATO Summit in Ankara – Reuters
The Ukrainian side expects that the upcoming NATO summit, scheduled for July 7–8 in Ankara, will focus on coordinating long-term financial support programs for Kyiv.
Nariman Dzhelalov, Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkey, told Reuters in a comment.
The diplomat expressed hope that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be able to personally attend the July meeting of Alliance leaders in Turkey. Kyiv’s main expectation is a renewed and official confirmation by all member states of Ukraine’s strategic goal regarding future accession to the military-political bloc.
Currently, complex discussions are underway within NATO regarding the formats of financial assistance. Last year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western partners to allocate 0.25% of their GDP annually to support Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex in order to ramp up weapons production. Subsequently, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte proposed that European NATO member states and Canada (excluding the U.S. share) commit to allocating that percentage. However, this initiative has faced internal resistance: last week, Rutte acknowledged that the idea is unlikely to gain widespread approval.
The summit in Ankara will take place against a backdrop of obvious tension between Washington and European capitals. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to insist that Europeans significantly increase their defense budgets, as the White House maintains that Europe must bear primary responsibility for traditional security on the continent.
Given the complexity of general budget negotiations, Ukraine has proposed an alternative pragmatic format—to conclude a special “drone agreement” with NATO countries, particularly Turkey. According to Kyiv’s plan, this mechanism would require each Alliance member state to contribute a fixed portion of funds specifically earmarked for strengthening Ukraine’s unmanned aerial vehicle and security capabilities.
Ambassador Nariman Dzhelalov acknowledged that not all allies are currently willing to readily allocate their resources, as they are primarily focused on modernizing their own defense in accordance with NATO standards. At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that Ukraine is not asking for too much, but is seeking only a very small portion of its partners’ joint defense capabilities to protect all of Europe.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that he had invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Alliance summit, which will take place in Ankara. According to him, the Ukrainian leader’s participation is planned as part of the preparations for the meeting of NATO member states.
At the NATO summit in Ankara, they plan to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s “disappointment” with the Alliance. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this, noting that this issue will be one of the items on the meeting’s agenda.
And Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the NATO leaders’ summit, which will take place in Ankara on July 7–8, will be one of the key events for the future of the Alliance and the entire international security system.
