When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he was counting on a weak Western response. More than four years on, Putin still hopes Western support for Ukraine will eventually wane, but he will be far less confident following this week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
Despite high-profile tensions between US President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders on a number of flash points including Greenland, European security, and the US-led conflict with Iran, this week’s two-day summit in the Turkish capital produced a strong show of unity on the key issue of continued support for the Ukrainian war effort. This including major funding commitments worth tens of billions of dollars for 2026 and 2027, as well as official recognition that Ukraine has now transitioned from aid recipient to transatlantic security contributor.
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The single most striking feature of the entire summit was arguably the change in tone from Trump on Ukraine. The US leader has frequently been critical or dismissive of Ukraine, but on this occasion, he spoke warmly of his “very good relationship” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while acknowledging Ukraine’s recent military progress and talking up the country’s future prospects.
