NATO considering canceling 2027 summit because of Trump – Bloomberg

NATO is considering canceling next year’s summit, partly to ease tensions in its relations with US President Donald Trump, as well as to avoid drawing attention to the fact that the host country is among those that contribute the least to the Alliance’s needs.

Bloomberg reported this, citing sources.

Discussions about canceling the annual NATO summit in 2027 gained momentum this week when NATO leaders gathered in Ankara, the sources said.

Trump himself stated that he had come to the Turkish capital solely because of his warm relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and he used his appearance to once again criticize the alliance and question its relevance.

According to sources, Trump’s attacks on NATO have sparked speculation that next year’s summit, scheduled to take place in Albania, might be postponed to avoid providing the US president with yet another platform from which to disparage his allies.

Albania was one of the NATO countries lagging behind in spending and, until recently, had not met its long-standing commitment to allocate at least 2% of GDP to defense.

According to sources, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte would like to maintain the annual practice to keep the Alliance at the forefront of world politics and has been trying to impress Trump by highlighting the significant increase in allies’ defense spending.

However, the final statement from the Ankara summit, which leaders will approve on Wednesday, will make no mention of the next summit, according to a source familiar with the text of the document.

“The summit will be held in Albania, if it will be held next year or the year after is something that is under discussion,” said Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, a high-ranking NATO military official, in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Trump made harsh remarks about Spain, calling the country a “terrible NATO partner” and verbally ordering a halt to trade with it. Spain is one of several countries that do not meet the Alliance’s former target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he shares US President Donald Trump’s views on the russian-Ukrainian war. He also noted that Ankara will continue to contribute to the arms procurement program for Kyiv.