NATO leaders set to endorse collective defence pledge and Ukraine aid plan

Ambassadors from all 32 NATO members have approved a draft summit declaration that would reaffirm an "ironclad" commitment to collective defence and set a new multiyear aid target for Ukraine. Leaders are expected to give final approval when they meet in Ankara on July 7-8, at the Beştepe Presidential Complex.

The language reaffirms Article 5, NATO’s core guarantee that an attack on one member is an attack on all. That principle has been invoked only once in the alliance’s history, after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The draft comes as President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that allies have not spent enough on their own security and has at times cast doubt on the value of NATO and the U.S. commitment to mutual defence.

The draft would pledge €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine in 2026 and at least the same level in 2027. A German proposal underlies the package and is designed to make allied funding more transparent, while also helping allies present a steadier commitment as the war grinds on and ammunition, air defence and other military needs remain acute.

The Ankara meeting will review progress since the Hague summit and set a roadmap for allied priorities, with defence investment, defence industry production and support for Ukraine on the agenda. Allies are also expected to discuss billions of dollars in new arms contracts and more weapons production.

At the 2025 Hague summit, allies agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035, including at least 3.5% for core defence requirements and up to 1.5% for broader defence and security-related spending. NATO says European allies and Canada increased defence expenditure by nearly 20% in real terms in 2025, equal to about USD 139 billion in nominal terms.

The Ankara meeting will be Türkiye’s second NATO summit, after Istanbul in 2004.