The NATO summit that is held in Ankara is far more than just another date on the Alliance’s calendar. Held in Turkey amid the war in Ukraine, with Donald Trump back at the centre of the transatlantic agenda, it unfolds under the shadow of a familiar but increasingly urgent question: who should pay for Europe’s security?
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte put it this way on the eve of the meeting: it is not sustainable for a country of 350 million people, located an eight-hour flight away, to continue bearing the burden of defending a Europe of 600 million—the wealthiest region within the Alliance. The remark sums up the political message hanging over the Ankara summit: the United States is not leaving NATO, but it is demanding that Europeans stop behaving like strategic dependents.
Europeans are expected to offer something more than applause for Rutte and promises of increased spending. They are expected to present credible plans, accept the budgetary costs, pursue joint procurement, and rebuild a military industrial base that was sacrificed for years in the name of the peace dividend. That is the current internal tension within the Alliance. Europe talks about strategic autonomy, but it still buys time, protection, and ammunition under the American umbrella.
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