THE transformation in the international strategic environment, the increasing probability of state-on-state wars, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and the resumed exchanges of strikes between Iran and the United States signify the efficacy of military alliances and minilateral security groups. Despite President Donald Trump’s transactional foreign policy and predatory strategy, the 2026 Ankara Summit Declaration reaffirmed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commitment to the collective defense of its member states, as enshrined in Article 5 of the alliance’s Treaty. Nonetheless, political uncertainties within transatlantic relations persist due to Trump’s economic and military threats against NATO members.

The 2026 NATO Summit was held in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 7-8, 2026. Leaders of all 32 NATO member states, five partner countries (Ukraine, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) and the European Union participated in the Ankara Summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in his opening remarks at the NATO Ankara Summit, emphasized that the changing security environment, driven primarily by Russia’s war in Ukraine, requires NATO to move beyond defense spending commitments to build credible military capabilities, expand defense industrial........

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