NATO allies will showcase surging defence spending at a summit in Turkey's capital, Ankara, on Tuesday as they hope to placate U.S. President Donald Trump after his fury over Europe's response to the war with Iran.
The two-day gathering at Turkey's sprawling presidential palace comes a year after NATO members pledged to ramp up security-related spending to five per cent of GDP under pressure from the U.S. leader.
Allies aim to demonstrate progress
NATO chief Mark Rutte insists European countries are “delivering” on their promise by bolstering military budgets and moving to take more responsibility for the defence of their continent in the face of Russia.
“Just one year later, we already see transformational progress,” Rutte told journalists in Ankara on the eve of the summit.
In a bid to impress Trump, NATO has lined up a series of headline-grabbing figures. “This is showtime,” a senior European diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
New arms deals and Canadian submarine programme
At an industry forum on Tuesday ahead of the main summit, leaders are set to unveil new arms deals worth tens of billions to show Trump they're delivering on their words. Underscoring that push, Canada announced on Monday that it had selected Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build its new fleet of submarines, a multi-billion-dollar programme Ottawa framed as part of a broader effort to deepen defence ties with European NATO allies.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was at the HMC Dockyard in Halifax on Monday to announce the procurement for up to 12 submarines from TKMS in Germany.
Trump's continued frustration
But Trump — still smarting after European countries imposed restrictions on U.S. forces using bases to attack Iran — has spent the run-up to the summit slamming allies for not moving fast enough for his liking. “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
Diplomatic efforts to avoid a bust-up
European leaders are aiming at least to avoid a bust-up with the mercurial U.S. leader that could deal a further blow to NATO's credibility after Trump repeatedly cast doubt on the U.S. commitment to protecting its allies. Diplomats are banking on Trump's good relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and an unstinting charm offensive by NATO chief Rutte to keep his mood in check.
But with Trump having had fallings out with a string of other leaders — most recently Italy's Giorgia Meloni — there are plenty of irritants that could ignite his anger.
Iran tensions and naval mission
Seeking to show willingness on Iran, European allies spearheaded by France and Britain have put together a potential naval mission to help in the Strait of Hormuz and countries have shifted vessels closer to the region to be ready. But the situation remains volatile and the Europeans want clarity on how a fragile U.S. deal with Iran is panning out before sending in their navies.
