This session takes place under the Chatham House Rule. With the NATO Ankara Summit just weeks away, the Alliance arrives at a defining moment shaped by concurrent pressures: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine now entering its fifth year, a Middle East conflict reverberating through global energy markets, a landmark commitment to reach 5% of GDP in defence investment by 2035, and deep questions about the future distribution of responsibility between North American and European allies. The 2025 Hague Summit delivered historic spending pledges and, for the first time in a decade, all allies met the 2% GDP threshold — yet translating financial commitments into credible military capability, interoperable forces, and a genuinely stronger European pillar remains a work in progress.
- What does the Ankara Summit need to deliver — beyond reaffirming spending pledges — to demonstrate that NATO remains a coherent and credible alliance in the face of diverging national priorities?
- As European allies take on greater responsibility for conventional defence, how can the Alliance avoid capability gaps, industrial bottlenecks, and interoperability risks in the transition?
- How should NATO adapt its political and strategic framework to manage a transatlantic relationship in which the United States and European allies increasingly hold different positions?
