Erdoğan says Türkiye aims to meet NATO spending goal early
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during the plenary session at the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye aims to meet NATO’s 5 percent defense and security-related spending target by 2030, five years ahead of the alliance’s 2035 deadline.
Speaking at the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara, Erdoğan said Türkiye had taken steps to raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent before 2030.
He said Ankara had already reached a 1.5 percent budget share in spending linked to security and resilience.
