On July 7-8, in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, in the Beştepe presidential complex, the 36th summit of the heads of NATO member states with the slogan “The key to peace” was launched, which brought together the heads of states and governments of all 32 member states of the alliance.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of partner countries, including President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as high-ranking officials of the European Union and other international organizations. Within the framework of the summit, a number of regional leaders also held bilateral meetings in Ankara, including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who held talks with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The key agenda of the Ankara summit was formed around the further strengthening of NATO’s collective defense and deterrence capabilities in the face of deepening changes in the international security environment. The main topics of discussion were the strategy to increase the defense spending of the member states to 5% of the GDP, the strengthening of the European defense industry, the continuation of the military and political support provided to Ukraine, as well as the development of the defense and logistics infrastructure of the eastern wing of the alliance and the increase of military mobility. In this context, the Ankara summit became a platform for evaluating the progress of the implementation of the decisions made in previous years, and for outlining the main directions for the further transformation of the Euro-Atlantic security system.

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization according to him, the meeting was successful, and today, more than ever, the alliance itself is strong and united. On the first day of the summit, the participating countries paid special attention to defense issues. In particular, the leaders agreed to allocate around 50 billion dollars to the development of defense technologies.

The funds are planned to be used for the acquisition of anti-aircraft defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as the implementation of joint projects in the field of armaments and military equipment.

US President Donald Trump within the framework of the event, he said that judging by Iran’s actions in the last week or two, he sees that there is no benefit from all this. “I know these people well and I doubt that I want to make a deal with them. Enough to play games. Let’s just finish what we started,” Trump said. At the same time, Trump again criticized the distribution of financial obligations within NATO.

According to him, last year more than half of all defense expenses of the Alliance were covered by the USA itself. Against the background of disputes over the budget, the American leader again referred to the topic of joining Greenland to the United States. In response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, and the country’s position on this matter remains unchanged.

One of the key topics of the summit was the issue of support to Ukraine. According to the results of the summit, NATO promised to allocate 70 billion euros of military aid to Kiev this year. European countries and Canada will take care of the main part of the expenses. Negotiations between Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump also took place within the framework of the forum. According to their results, the US president promised to grant Ukraine a license for the production of Patriot missiles. This announcement was a surprise, because Kiev has been seeking this right for more than half a year, but until now it has been denied by Washington.

According to the results of the summit, Trump showed that he wants to remove obstacles in relations with Turkey as well. He announced that he intends to cancel the sanctions against the country that have been in effect since 2019. They were established after Ankara acquired Russian air defense systems. As a result, the country was left out of the American fighter jet supply program.

In turn, the head of Turkey said that there are no more US sanctions. “With Donald Trump, we have already discussed concrete steps to strengthen the defense industry, especially in the shipbuilding sector,” he said.

As a result of the summit, NATO member states reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense, in accordance with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, and to transatlantic ties.

The participants added that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and called to observe the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Western mass media and experts note that the summit is of particular importance for Turkey: Ankara is preparing to become one of the central actors within NATO. Since joining the Alliance in 1952, the republic has remained an important pillar of collective security, and its influence has grown significantly in recent years.

According to Bloomberg data, the volume of the country’s arms exports exceeded 11 billion dollars, with more than half of the supplies going to the bloc’s allies, the United States and Europe. In addition, in recent years, Turkey has successfully strengthened its status as a mediator in international crises, from the Ukrainian settlement to the Iran war.

The results of the Ankara NATO summit document that Turkey is strengthening its position, turning into a key player within NATO. The prospect of the lifting of sanctions by the US, bilateral joint projects in the field of defense industry, and the sharp increase in Turkey’s military exports prove once again that the partners of the alliance, the US, and the collective West greatly value Ankara’s strategic importance in the region, and therefore, its interests in the South Caucasus.

At the same time, the statements made at the summit regarding the situation around Iran and the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz show that the balance of power in the Middle East and surrounding regions remains problematic.

The stability of the South Caucasus is directly related to the security environment of the large neighboring regions. Any tension or geopolitical shift has a direct impact on communication channels and prospects for regional cooperation. The Ankara summit proved that pragmatic interests and strategic calculations are paramount in international relations.

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