Donald Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey this week for a NATO summit that analysts are describing as the alliance's first ...

Donald Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey this week for a NATO summit that analysts are describing as the alliance's first real progress check since last year's Hague meeting. The central question: have member states actually followed through on their promises to dramatically raise defense spending? The answer, so far, is mixed. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced in Ankara that European allies and Canada spent nearly 20% more on defense last year compared to the year before, and pledged new contracts worth "tens of billions of dollars" to be announced formally Tuesday at a defense industry conference. Rutte is calling the combined 2025-2026 increase "$258 billion in additional investment," a figure he framed directly as "The Trump Trillion" when presenting charts to Trump at the Oval Office last month. The US ambassador to NATO, Matt Whittaker, put it plainly: Trump expects every ally to move immediately, get on a path to spending 5% of GDP on defense, and do it with urgency. That 5% target remains a flashpoint, with countries like Spain openly expressing reservations about whether it's realistic. Trump's frustrations with European allies had already boiled over before the summit. He posted angrily on social media accusing them of refusing to support the US during its war with Iran alongside Israel, calling NATO's current structure "ridiculous" and a "one-sided" arrangement. The Ankara summit has a packed agenda beyond spending. Trump is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, after already calling both Zelensky and Vladimir Putin on July 4. He also plans a bilateral with host Erdogan, whom he considers a close personal friend, and a separate meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump reportedly wants Syria to take a larger role in combating Hezbollah in Lebanon, something al-Sharaa has publicly said he is not interested in. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added to allied unease by announcing a six-month review of US troop levels in Europe, a move that caught NATO partners off guard. Running alongside all of this is the Trump administration's "NATO 3.0" doctrine, which pushes Europe to shoulder far more of its own ...