Trump Heads To NATO Summit With Tough Defense Spending Message

President Donald Trump is heading to the NATO summit in Ankara with a renewed push for alliance members to accelerate defense spending toward the bloc's 5 percent of GDP target by 2035.

According to the report, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said Washington expects allies to move with greater urgency, warning that countries falling behind could face reduced military cooperation and possible U.S. troop withdrawals.

Britain recently announced a £15 billion increase in defense spending, although its projected defense budget will still remain below NATO's long-term goal.

Despite previous disagreements over NATO's collective defense commitments, alliance leaders are expected to reaffirm their support for Article 5.

Trump is also expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss efforts to end the war with Russia.

Related Tweet:

President Trump will head to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week as an unstable ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran and Trump's feud with his NATO allies continue. https://t.co/ynhpsAvVD9

— ABC News (@ABC) July 6, 2026

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