Turkish vice president highlights NATO summit as historic gathering for deterrence

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said Monday that the NATO summit in Ankara would be a historically significant gathering at a critical time of global transformation.

“To be held during a critical period when the world is undergoing a major transformation, this summit will be a historic gathering where the alliance’s efforts in the areas of deterrence and defense will be examined from a 360-degree perspective, and steps toward increasing defense investments will be evaluated,” Yilmaz wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

He emphasized that Türkiye, with its “distinguished by its strong leadership, effective defense system, and peaceful diplomacy” will be at the heart of discussions.

Yilmaz also said he expected the summit to produce beneficial outcomes for Türkiye, the region and global stability.

NATO heads of state and government are meeting in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance’s 2026 summit, hosted by Türkiye.

The two-day summit will focus on implementing defense spending commitments agreed at the 2025 summit, sustaining military support for Ukraine and expanding defense industrial production.

It is taking place amid renewed debate over transatlantic burden-sharing and continued uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to participate in summit events.