ANKARA — The 2026 NATO summit kicked off in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday, bringing together leaders from 32 member states and several partner countries for high-level discussions over the next two days.Defense spending, long-term support for Ukraine and efforts to strengthen the alliance’s defense industrial capacity are expected to dominate discussions.The summit got underway as US President Donald Trump renewed pressure on member states over defense spending and European nations are expected to respond with billions of dollars in new military contracts.Leaders from all 32 NATO member states are attending the summit.Two non-alliance heads of state will also be there: Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung.Australia, Japan and New Zealand are sending defence or foreign ministers, as are Gulf countries affected by the US-Israel war on Iran: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is not expected to attend the summit but is holding a bilateral meeting with Trump in Ankara.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other officials also say Europe wants to show that it is honoring pledges to hike defense spending, with major arms deals expected to be announced during the summit.Rutte announced three new defense initiatives as the summit opened with a defense industry forum focused on boosting joint procurement and industrial cooperation.Speaking at the NATO Defense Industry Forum, the first official event of the two-day summit in Ankara, Rutte unveiled projects aimed at expanding allied capabilities in airlift, intelligence and surveillance.The first initiative is a multinational modernization program centered on the Airbus A400M transport aircraft and the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet."Several allies are officially announcing the forthcoming delivery of additional Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft," Rutte said, describing the project as a step toward strengthening NATO's strategic airlift and refueling capabilities.He also announced a joint procurement project for MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft to enhance the alliance's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities."These additional aircraft will provide persistent surveillance over large maritime areas," he said.Rutte's third announcement focused on replacing NATO's aging Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet.NATO allies will jointly procure up to 10 Swedish-made Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to replace the alliance's aging US-built Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft.The NATO summit continues through Wednesday, with allied leaders set to discuss defense investment, military support for Ukraine and efforts to expand the alliance's defense industrial base.