Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan indicated Wednesday that a private meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to take place when Trump arrives in Ankara for the upcoming NATO summit next month.
Turkey is preparing to welcome all 32 NATO member leaders, along with officials from the alliance’s Gulf and Asia-Pacific partner nations, for a summit scheduled July 7-8. The gathering comes at a time of internal tensions within the alliance over how costs and defense responsibilities should be shared, as well as U.S. frustrations over allies’ roles in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war.
When reporters in parliament asked Erdogan whether he and Trump planned a separate face-to-face meeting outside of the main summit proceedings, he responded that “it will most likely happen,” though he offered no additional details.
Erdogan has previously emphasized that Trump’s presence at the summit is critical for demonstrating unity among NATO members.
The two leaders have developed a strong working relationship since Trump returned to the White House in 2024, expanding cooperation across several regional issues and settling some long-standing disputes, including a sanctions-evasion case involving Turkish state lender Halkbank.
Burhanettin Duran, who serves as Erdogan’s communications director, addressed Turkish media representatives in Ankara, saying that burden-sharing would be one of the central items on the summit’s agenda.
“The changing security architecture is pushing NATO allies to re-evaluate their defence spending. In that framework, Turkey aims to reach the 3.5% + 1.5% target by the end of 2030,” Duran said, according to a summary of his remarks released Wednesday.
The summit will also be attended at the foreign ministers level by representatives from the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative — a partnership forum involving select Middle Eastern nations — as well as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Australia, collectively referred to as the Indo-Pacific Four.
