Trump and Zelenskyy to meet at NATO summit in Turkey

Donald Trump arrived in Ankara Tuesday afternoon for the NATO summit, where he was set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two-day meeting, running July 7-8, put Ukraine, defense investment and transatlantic military production at the center of the alliance’s agenda.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the summit would focus on “delivery,” including stronger armed forces, increased defense production and concrete plans for allies to reach a new target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035. He also said allies and NATO partners had to keep ensuring Ukraine gets what it needs.

The meeting highlighted a strategic divide inside the alliance over what it means to think seriously about Vladimir Putin’s war. For some governments, that means faster weapons deliveries to Ukraine and firmer deterrence along NATO’s eastern flank. For others, it means proving that Europe can carry more of the burden itself, especially as Washington continues to press allies on spending and burden-sharing.

The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting landed amid continued Russian attacks and renewed efforts by Trump to push for an end to the war. Ukrainian officials saw the encounter as a test of whether the United States would keep Ukraine firmly at the front of alliance strategy, or move toward a narrower focus on ending the conflict on any terms that can hold.

NATO leaders also used the summit to showcase defense-industry deals worth tens of billions of dollars, a signal aimed at both Moscow and Washington.