NATO Summit 2026: What are the key challenges facing the alliance?

NATO leaders are set to meet for a summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8, where they will take up a range of issues confronting the alliance, from Europe shouldering more responsibility for the continent's security to ramping up defence production, according to Reuters.

Officials are concerned that the ongoing Iran war could dominate discussions, though there is hope that leaders will stay focused on the alliance's central mandate of defence and deterrence, Reuters reported.

Also read: Trump says 'ridiculous' for US to maintain current support for NATO


Here is a look at the key challenges before NATO in the coming months and years.

Holding on to Trump

According to Reuters, one of NATO's top priorities is preserving unity within the alliance and ensuring the United States remains committed to Article 5, the clause that treats an attack on any member as an attack on all.

The report noted that two flashpoints this year have strained transatlantic ties: US President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory and NATO member, and his frustration with allies over their handling of the Iran conflict.

Trump has called NATO a "paper tiger" and floated the idea of a US withdrawal from the alliance, Reuters said. Secretary-General Mark Rutte has been working to ease tensions, combining praise with data to convince Trump that European members are living up to their commitments, the report added.

Shifting the burden

Reuters reported that the Trump administration has been pressing European governments to take the lead on conventional defence of the continent, as Washington looks to redirect resources toward the Indo-Pacific region.

Some shifts are already visible. The US has scaled back the pool of military capabilities it makes available to NATO during a crisis, and European members have stepped in to cover nearly all the resulting gaps, according to the report. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also ordered a fresh review of American troop deployments in Europe and warned that US dues to NATO could be withheld if allies seen as "free-riding" fail to meet spending commitments.

European officials, Reuters said, maintain that they are working to increase their defence role, though some have raised concerns that such a transition needs time and flagged unpredictability in Washington's policy approach.

Higher defence spending

European NATO members and Canada face mounting pressure to raise defence investment, both to strengthen deterrence against Russia and to signal to Trump that his demands on burden-shifting are being taken seriously, Reuters reported.

At last year's summit in The Hague, NATO leaders endorsed a major defence spending increase sought by Trump, committing to spend 5% of GDP on defence and related measures within a decade, split between 3.5% on core defence such as troops and weapons and 1.5% on broader defence-related measures.

According to alliance data cited by Reuters, European NATO members and Canada raised defence spending by 20% in 2025 compared with the previous year in real terms. However, not all countries are on track to meet the new targets, and several governments are encountering political resistance over defence budgets, the report said.

Defence industry pressure

As European NATO countries increase defence spending, a key challenge lies in converting that investment into military capability within a short span of time, Reuters reported.

NATO members are expected to unveil new contracts worth tens of billions of dollars at the Ankara summit. Still, some officials have voiced frustration that production has not scaled up as quickly as hoped, with orders in some cases still taking years to fulfil, according to the report.

Also read: UK's Starmer unveils £15 bln defence increase in long-delayed investment plan

NATO's leadership has urged the defence industry to collaborate, open new production lines and speed up delivery timelines, Reuters said.

The Russia factor

NATO leaders at the Ankara summit are expected to reaffirm that Russia remains a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security, Reuters reported.

While alliance officials acknowledge Russia is facing serious economic strain and that Ukraine has bolstered its position, Rutte has cautioned that close to half of Russia's state budget is now going toward defence, and that the alliance cannot afford to underestimate Moscow, according to the report.

Sustaining support for Ukraine

European NATO members continue to fund assistance for Kyiv more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion began, Reuters reported.

Funding flows through multiple channels, including bilateral aid, a European Union loan, and the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, under which European nations pay for Ukraine to receive US-made weapons, the report said.

While most European leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to backing Kyiv, Reuters noted that maintaining high funding levels remains difficult given competing demands on national budgets, along with concerns in some capitals that certain European governments are shouldering a disproportionately larger share than others.