Police patrol in front of a banner ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rıza Ozel)
Türkiye is set to host the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara on July 7-8, bringing together leaders from the alliance’s 32 member states.
The summit program is scheduled to begin on July 6 with a press conference by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the International Media Center in Beştepe.
The Ankara meeting will be the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye, following the 2004 summit in Istanbul.
The agenda is expected to focus on alliance unity, defense spending, Ukraine, regional security and defense industry cooperation.
A NATO Defense Industry Forum will be held on July 7 at NATO Congresium, where allied officials and defense industry representatives are expected to take part.
Rutte is scheduled to address the forum alongside Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.
The same day, NATO foreign ministers are expected to meet foreign ministers from countries taking part in the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Türkiye will also host a reception for defense ministers at the Defense Ministry’s Ay Yıldız campus, with defense ministers from Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea also expected to attend.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan are scheduled to host a reception and dinner for leaders and their spouses on July 7.
On July 8, Erdoğan and Rutte will officially welcome heads of state and government before the leaders’ family photo and the North Atlantic Council meeting.
The summit is expected to close with Rutte’s press conference later that day.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Ankara on July 7 and attend the leaders’ dinner before joining the summit session the next day.
The White House said Trump also plans to meet Erdoğan on Tuesday and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday.
U.S. officials said Trump’s meeting with Zelensky would focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Turkish authorities have stepped up security across Ankara ahead of the summit, with more than 56,000 personnel assigned to duty.
Around 3,000 journalists and media workers have also sought accreditation to cover the summit, according to Turkish officials.
