{"id":459309,"date":"2026-07-08T18:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2026\/07\/08\/investimenti-unita-sostegno-a-kiev-si-chiude-il-summit-nato-rutte-alleanza-piu-forte-che-mai\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T19:29:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T17:29:28","slug":"investment-unity-support-for-kyiv-the-nato-summit-draws-to-a-close-rutte-the-alliance-is-stronger-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2026\/07\/08\/investment-unity-support-for-kyiv-the-nato-summit-draws-to-a-close-rutte-the-alliance-is-stronger-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Investment, unity, support for Kyiv: the NATO Summit draws to a close. Rutte: \u201cThe Alliance is stronger than ever\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels \u2013 From the “unwavering” commitment under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to the 140 billion to be allocated to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027. From 50 billion in defence contracts, to Russia being described as a long-term threat. From Iran, which must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, to the recognition of the increased spending commitments by European allies and Canada. The Ankara NATO summit declaration<\/a> is trying to hold together all the pieces of an Alliance that is on edge and fractured from within. A \u201chuge success,\u201d characterised by a \u201cpalpable sense of unity,\u201d where \u201callies have enthusiastically welcomed President Trump\u2019s leadership, which is transforming this Alliance and making it stronger,\u201d the Secretary-General reassured at a press conference, Mark Rutte<\/strong>, who exulted: \u201cThe Alliance is stronger than ever.\u201d A strength, however, where the issue is not \u201cspending more, but maintaining the security of a billion people,\u201d Rutte stated. In other words, \u201cmodernising our Alliance means a stronger Europe within a stronger Alliance<\/strong>.\u201d In fact, the central issue remains that of spending, and a spending that favours Washington: \u201cAll contracts awarded will benefit American industry<\/strong>, creating more jobs. Because we are the best and the fastest at manufacturing,\u201d the US President, Donald Trump<\/strong>, would comment later that day at his press conference. <\/p>\n

Perhaps this is also why the White House tenant describes the summit as <\/strong>“a great success<\/strong>,” adding that “there was extraordinary unity in that room” and “love,” where “each of the leaders spoke very well” and they are “very intelligent people, who have so much good in their hearts\u2014not evil, but good\u2014and are doing a brilliant job for their country.” <\/p>\n

The day, however, had not begun on such a positive note for Trump, and the Secretary-General once again had to play the role of “fire-extinguisher” in the face of the tycoon\u2019s discontent towards the allies he had brought with him to Turkey. Spain is \u201ca terrible partner\u201d with whom \u201cwe no longer want to do business\u201d; \u201cthe UK did not allow us to use the island for two weeks\u201d; \u201cItaly has been dreadful when it comes to its bases,\u201d along with \u201ca few other\u201d allies. It was already well known that the US president was \u201cvery unhappy with NATO.\u201d The main reason lies in what he brands as a lack of support for Washington in its war against \u201cthe main state sponsor of terrorism,\u201d Iran. \u201cWhen we asked them to join us, they all said no<\/strong>,\u201d while the US has spent \u201cover a thousand billion dollars.\u201d An imbalance typical of the usual spoilt Europe, in his eyes: \u201cWe protect them, but they aren\u2019t there for us.\u201d <\/p>\n

But another source of tension has also resurfaced at the meeting in Turkey: Greenland. “Greenland is very important to the United States, but not to Denmark<\/strong>. When Denmark was invaded by the Nazis, Hitler defeated them in less than a day and took control within a day. They asked us to take charge of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland and then, foolishly, gave it back. We shouldn\u2019t have given it back, because we are the ones who need it. We need it for the protection of the world<\/strong>, not just the United States<\/strong>,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Then there is Iran, with the ceasefire coming to an end and reports of possible US attacks as early as tonight. The leaders in Tehran are \u201cliars,\u201d \u201cscum,\u201d \u201csick people\u201d who \u201cmake a deal and then say it was never discussed. As far as I\u2019m concerned, it\u2019s over,\u201d Trump said. And he warned: \u201cYesterday we struck Iran hard<\/a> and we\u2019re likely to do it tonight as well<\/strong>. This is a warning I\u2019m issuing.\u201d Last night\u2019s attack received Rutte\u2019s endorsement. \u201cI think it was absolutely necessary,\u201d he commented this morning ahead of the summit, \u201cbecause when there is a ceasefire, and Iran violates it, I think it is absolutely essential that the United States responds forcefully.\u201d <\/p>\n

The White House tenant, however, has high regard for the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: \u201cA great leader, he has been extraordinary. He is a friend of mine, and has been for a long time. He is a strong person with a very strong personality, and that is why he governs such an efficient and well-organised country; I would say it is truly a great country from a military point of view,\u201d he said at a press conference. And Chinese President Xi Jinping: \u201cChina has treated us well,\u201d \u201cI told President Xi that I hoped he would not get involved in the conflict\u201d against Iran. \u201cIt receives over 50 per cent of its oil from the Strait of Hormuz and has not gone to war. It has not supplied equipment to Iran. It has been exceptional. I am a great admirer of President Xi,\u201d he stated this morning.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, Rutte first confirmed that Trump<\/strong> \u201cis fully committed to NATO<\/strong>,\u201d although \u201cthere is an expectation\u201d that \u201cEuropeans and Canada will bring their spending in line with that of the US.\u201d He then summed up that<\/strong> \u201cwe argue in order to become stronger<\/strong>.\u201d He emphasised \u201cthe good news\u201d that is \u201ctoday\u2019s great victory, and it is a defeat for Putin and a victory for President Trump, and Europeans and Canadians are doing exactly that.\u201d A point the tycoon acknowledged at the press conference. \u201cAll the leaders understand perfectly well that the United States remains by far the largest contributor to NATO in economic terms, and perhaps in other areas too, and the strongest military power in the world,\u201d and \u201cnow everyone is moving towards spending 5 per cent<\/strong>,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

As for Iran, \u201cI know you\u2019re disappointed, but 5,000 aircraft have taken off from European airports in support of Operation Epic Fury<\/strong>,\u201d Rutte argued this morning. \u201cEurope has served as a major platform for projecting American power, assisting the United States in the operation,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni<\/strong>, emphasised the need to meet the targets set by the Alliance. \u201cWherever I have the means to strengthen defence and security, I will do so as far as I can. Today we are at 2.8 per cent of gross domestic product; next year we will make every effort to increase this further, to improve still more<\/strong>, and we will honour our commitments. But the commitments we have undertaken to honour seem to me to be the appropriate ones at this time<\/strong>, I would not go beyond them<\/strong>,\u201d she stated at a press conference following the Summit. The Peninsula, she noted, \u201cis a credible ally\u201d and \u201cthis is demonstrated by the nearly 3,000 Italian military personnel deployed in the Alliance\u2019s main theatres of operation: we are the NATO nation that contributes the greatest number of men and women to the missions in which NATO is engaged, by far.\u201d <\/p>\n

Consequently, the call for unity is the first point set out in the Summit\u2019s final declaration. \u201cWe, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in Ankara to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and to the transatlantic bond<\/strong>. An attack on one is an attack on all,” it states. \u201cTo counter the long-term threat that Russia poses<\/strong> to Euro-Atlantic security and stability and the persistent threat of terrorism,
\nAllies are delivering on The Hague defence commitment,\u201d the text continues. It notes that, by 2025, the European Allies and Canada had increased their investment in essential defence requirements by over 139 billion dollars, \u201cproviding the capabilities we need, while strengthening our industrial base and resilience.\u201d Meanwhile, \u201ctoday in Ankara, we are announcing over 50 billion dollars in new contracts and committing to expanding our collective production capacity and working with industry to accelerate innovation<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n

The declaration also mentions Iran\u2014the 32 allies reiterate that \u201cit must never possess a nuclear weapon\u201d\u2014while Ukraine and Western support for Kyiv remain central. \u201cThe European Allies and Canada now fund the vast majority of security assistance to Ukraine through bilateral and multilateral channels. The Allies emphasise that such support must be equitable, predictable and sustainable in the long term. For 2026, the Allies commit to providing Ukraine with 70 billion euros in military equipment, assistance and training, and reaffirm their sovereign commitment to maintaining at least equivalent levels in 2027<\/strong>\u201d, the declaration states. <\/p>\n

On the eastern front, Rutte emphasised that Moscow \u201cis in trouble\u201d and that \u201cthe economy is in a serious state,\u201d while \u201cUkraine is making deep inroads into Russia, in terms of energy and defence infrastructure.\u201d For the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky<\/strong>, too, \u201cRussia\u2019s conditions for peace are changing<\/strong>\u201d because \u201cit is no longer just about the number of soldiers, but the main issue is also military technology, and I believe we have a certain advantage<\/strong>,\u201d added Zelensky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The final statement notes that in 2025, Europe and Canada increased their defence spending by over $139 billion. Contracts worth 50 billion and aid to Kyiv totalling 140 billion have been announced for 2026 and 2027<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7874,"featured_media":459287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25705,30809],"tags":[27336,25882,27569,26002,30929,31521,25803,33669,27073,29164,30781,28500,28152],"class_list":["post-459309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-defence-security","tag-investimenti-en","tag-iran-in-2","tag-meloni-and","tag-spesa-militare-en","tag-nato-en-10","tag-russia-in-2","tag-rutte","tag-terrorism-en","tag-trump-en","tag-ukraine-in-2","tag-war-en","tag-greenat"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7874"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459310,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459309\/revisions\/459310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/459287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}