President Donald Trump entered the final day of the NATO summit on July 8, 2026, as alliance leaders aimed to demonstrate unity on defense spending, support for Ukraine, and transatlantic security. The summit followed a series of significant announcements and bilateral meetings during its opening day.

On the first day, Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announcing the United States would lift sanctions on Turkey, stating, "We don't sanction friends." He also indicated readiness to proceed with the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ankara despite longstanding U.S. opposition due to Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

The final day's agenda included a plenary session with NATO leaders and bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy was highly anticipated as Ukraine continues to seek military assistance and air defense capabilities amid ongoing conflict with Russia.

Trump is expected to conclude the summit with a press conference outlining the administration's priorities and any agreements reached before departing Ankara for Washington.

During the summit, Trump remarked on defense spending, saying, "With all the money we spend to help them with Russia … we don't have to spend any money. We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe," and expressed disappointment that allies "really weren't" willing to do more to help.

Wednesday's discussions focused on strengthening collective defense, increasing defense spending commitments, and coordinating support for Ukraine more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion.

Sources