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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday a private meeting with Donald Trump is likely at next month's NATO summit in Ankara, as Türkiye prepares to host the alliance's annual gathering.
Speaking after a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan told reporters there was a strong chance he and Trump would hold one-on-one talks during the summit, which will bring NATO leaders to the Turkish capital on July 7-8.
The expected meeting comes as Washington and Ankara maintain dialogue on a range of regional and security issues, while NATO members prepare for what will be the alliance's 36th leaders' summit.
Trump has already signaled that he will attend the gathering. The U.S. president, speaking at an event last week marking the introduction of a new Air Force One aircraft, confirmed his plans to travel to Türkiye.
"I will be going to Türkiye soon," Trump remarked during the ceremony, in what would be his first official trip to Türkiye. Trump last met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House in Washington in September 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously confirmed Trump's participation and described the Ankara meeting as a landmark event for the alliance.
"President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit in Türkiye. This will be the most important meeting in the alliance's history," Rubio said.
The July 7-8 summit in Ankara will be NATO's 36th leaders' summit and only the second hosted by Türkiye, following the alliance's 2004 summit in Istanbul. Leaders from NATO's 32 member states are expected to gather at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for two days of talks on the alliance's security priorities.
The meeting comes at a sensitive moment for the alliance, with debates intensifying over defense spending, military readiness, support for Ukraine and the future distribution of security responsibilities between the U.S. and European allies.
Another key topic is expected to be burden-sharing within the alliance, following recent calls from Washington for European members to assume a greater role in regional defense and contribute more resources to NATO operations.
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