NATO leaders pledged continued military support for Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance’s collective defence as the summit in Ankara concluded on Wednesday with new announcements on defence spending, industrial cooperation and transatlantic security.
The meeting was dominated by discussions on Ukraine, Iran and NATO’s future role, while US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington is prepared to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defence missiles under licence.
Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said the two countries were discussing a licensing arrangement for the Patriot system.
“A little birdie told me that we’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump told reporters.
The proposal would mark a significant shift in US support by allowing Ukraine to produce one of the West’s most advanced air defence systems domestically. Zelenskyy described air defence as Ukraine’s highest military priority and thanked Washington for its continued support.
Trump also said the United States expected to reach a separate agreement with Ukraine on drone cooperation. He added that the US would be interested in purchasing Ukrainian drones, citing the country’s rapid expansion of domestic weapons production.
During the meeting, Trump said both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to end the war. He repeated that he maintained a good relationship with Putin and expected further talks aimed at reaching a settlement.
NATO’s final declaration reaffirmed the alliance’s “ironclad commitment” to Article 5, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The statement identified Russia as the alliance’s long-term security threat and confirmed continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to Reuters, the declaration includes plans for around $70 billion in military assistance for Ukraine and new allied defence procurement worth about $50 billion.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said leaders had demonstrated strong unity throughout the summit.
“We have shown this alliance is stronger than ever,” Rutte said, adding that allies remained fully committed to Article 5 and to strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities.
Rutte also announced that NATO members would invest €27 billion in fuel storage infrastructure to strengthen wartime logistics and energy supplies across the alliance.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the summit marked another step towards what he described as “NATO 3.0”, with Europe assuming greater responsibility for its own defence while maintaining the transatlantic partnership.
Stubb said Russia would remain a long-term threat regardless of how the war in Ukraine develops and warned that Europe must prepare for continued hybrid operations and information warfare.
He also confirmed that France will join NATO’s Forward Land Forces battlegroup in Finland through rotational troop deployments.
Finland signed 12 defence cooperation agreements during the summit covering joint procurement projects, including surveillance aircraft, reconnaissance drones, strategic transport aircraft and aerial refuelling capabilities, according to the Finnish government.
Trump’s remarks on Ukraine contrasted with his earlier criticism of several NATO allies.
Before the summit sessions began, he repeated his claim that Greenland should come under US control rather than remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected the proposal, stating that Greenland’s future would be decided by its people and that the territory was not for sale, Reuters reported.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen also rejected Trump’s comments, saying Finland fully supports Denmark’s territorial integrity.
Despite earlier tensions, Stubb said Greenland was not raised during the leaders’ closed-door discussions, describing the atmosphere inside the summit as constructive.
Iran also remained high on the agenda after overnight US strikes against Iranian targets.
Trump repeated that the ceasefire with Tehran was over and said the United States would “probably” launch additional strikes later on Wednesday. He claimed that recent US military action was aimed at responding to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian officials maintain that the US violated the MoU on multiple occasions before the strikes.
During a separate meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump described Syria as “very stable” and said he was considering removing the country from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Trump also said he believed Israel was likely to withdraw from southern Lebanon after discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The summit concluded with renewed commitments to increase defence spending across the alliance. NATO estimates show European allies and Canada will spend an average of 2.53 per cent of GDP on defence this year, while Finland’s defence spending is projected to reach 2.65 per cent.
HT