Turkey pushes role as NATO host; Europe ramps drones
Turkish officials urged NATO allies to use the July summit in Ankara to 'reset' ties with the U.S. administration and to prepare for a possible reduction in American involvement in the alliance. At the same time European outlets report the EU is boosting drone production while flagging regulatory and implementation gaps that could shape procurement needs. (reuters.com) (euronews.com)
Turkey is pressing allies to use the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara on July 7-8 to rework ties with President Donald Trump and plan for less U.S. involvement. (yahoo.com) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on April 13 that Ankara expected Trump to attend because of his “personal respect” for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even as he described Trump as otherwise reluctant to come. (yahoo.com) Fidan said allies had long treated Trump’s criticism of the alliance as rhetoric, but now needed “a plan and programme” in case Washington pulled back from some North Atlantic Treaty Organization mechanisms. A senior White House official told Reuters last week that Trump had also considered removing some U.S. troops from Europe. (yahoo.com) The Ankara meeting is the alliance’s next leaders’ summit, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said on August 20, 2025 that Turkey would host it at the Beştepe Presidential Compound. It will be the second North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit hosted by Turkey after Istanbul in 2004. (nato.int) Turkey is making that pitch as European governments and institutions push to build more of their own military capacity. Euronews reported on April 13 that the European Union is increasing drone production after wars in Ukraine and Iran showed that unmanned aircraft are used in large numbers and depleted quickly. (euronews.com) The European Union article said member states still rely heavily on foreign drone suppliers, and Brussels is trying to cut that dependence with funding for manufacturing, subsidies for key components, and faster support for startups. It also said the bloc is investing in systems to detect and stop hostile drones and in standards meant to make drones more secure and reliable. (euronews.com) That push is already showing up in policy. On April 1, the European Commission adopted preparatory steps for a €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan and said the first defence product schedule under that package would focus on drones. (enlargement.ec.europa.eu) The Commission said €45 billion of that support is slated for 2026, with up to €16.7 billion in budget support and €28.3 billion for Ukraine’s defence industrial capacities. It also approved procurement derogations for drones, saying Ukraine needs critical products in large quantities and on very short timelines. (enlargement.ec.europa.eu) Brussels is also widening the industrial side beyond Ukraine. On March 30, the European Commission adopted a €1.5 billion work programme under the European Defence Industry Programme for 2026-2027 to ramp up production capacity and strengthen Europe’s defence industry. (defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu) The regulatory side is moving too. The Commission published an Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security on February 11, 2026, describing a “united approach” against malicious drones as Europe tries to close gaps between production, airspace security and procurement. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) By July, Ankara will be hosting a summit about the future of U.S. leadership in Europe while European institutions are spending, borrowing and rewriting rules to build more of their own airpower. (nato.int)
