NATO May Cancel Its 2027 Summit Due to Trump's Stance – Bloomberg
NATO is considering canceling the Alliance’s 2027 summit to avoid a potential escalation in tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump. Bloomberg reported this, citing sources familiar with the internal consultations.
Discussions about canceling the annual summits intensified this week when NATO leaders gathered in Ankara. The next summit was scheduled to take place in Albania, but it may now be rescheduled.
There are two reasons:
- a desire to ease tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who regularly criticizes the Alliance;
- an effort to avoid drawing attention to the fact that Albania is one of the countries with the lowest defense spending in NATO.
A senior NATO military official, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg TV that the date of the next summit has not yet been decided.
“The summit will take place in Albania, but whether it will be held next year or the year after is a matter currently under discussion,” Dragone said.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump said he came to Ankara solely because of his warm relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He used his appearance at the summit to once again cast doubt on the importance of NATO and belittle his allies.
It was the president’s constant jabs that prompted the Alliance to consider postponing the meeting in Albania, so as not to give Trump a new reason to criticize his partners.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants to maintain the annual summit format so that the Alliance remains at the center of the global agenda. He tried to impress Trump by highlighting the significant increase in allies’ defense spending.
However, it remains unclear whether this strategy is working. The final statement from the Ankara summit, which leaders are set to approve on Wednesday, will not contain any mention of the next summit, according to Bloomberg.
As a reminder, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Spain ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, stating his intention to sever trade relations and halt visits between the two countries.
Rutte backed Trump on NATO defense spending and policy toward Iran.
