Turkiye says NATO adjusting to security landscape, US not withdrawing
June 30, 2026 08:21
ANKARA: NATO is adjusting to a shifting security landscape and the United States is not seeking to leave the alliance, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara next week.
Turkiye will host 32 NATO leaders, as well as officials from the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region, on July 7-8, amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defense spending, and US complaints about allies’ lack of involvement in re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.
In written responses to questions, Guler said the summit would focus on bloc unity, evaluating allies’ increased defense spending, bolstering defense industry cooperation and increasing support for Ukraine. Ankara should be involved in European defense initiatives, he added.
