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U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to approve the sale of engines for Türkiye's indigenous Kaan fighter jet during a state visit to Ankara, one day before the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit opens, according to Turkish publication Hurriyet.
Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will first hold a one-on-one meeting, followed by inter-delegation talks and a joint press conference, she reported.
Trump said Thursday on Truth Social that the United States has spent far more on NATO than any other ally.
"The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing: U.S. $999 billion, United Kingdom, $90.5 billion, France, $66.5 billion, Italy, $48.8 billion, Poland, $44.3 billion. Others, including Germany, are much lower. (2014-2025) Ridiculous!" Trump wrote.
According to Firat's reporting, Trump will arrive in Ankara with a team of approximately 1,000 people.
He will bring his own vehicles and helicopter, as he does for visits to all countries.
The presidential helicopter will be transported dismantled aboard a cargo aircraft and will be reassembled in Ankara by American technical teams.
Trump is also expected to be greeted by children upon arrival.
At Türkiye's Presidential Complex, ceremonial guards dressed to represent the 16 great Turkic states of history will be present for the official reception.
Firat reported that the agenda for the bilateral talks is broad.
Defense industry and security top the list, with the Kaan fighter jet engine supply, F-35 program, CAATSA sanctions and new defense projects all set to be addressed.
Türkiye's security expectations in Syria, steps Washington is expected to take on the PKK/YPG question, and the U.S. military presence in the region are also listed among the most critical agenda items.
Additional topics include the Gaza ceasefire process, Israel-Iran tensions, the Russia-Ukraine war, Black Sea security, and NATO framework cooperation.
Ankara's expectation, according to Firat, is that the meeting goes beyond a contact to address current issues and instead becomes a summit capable of establishing the framework for a new era in Türkiye-U.S. relations.
The NATO summit communique expected to be released on July 8 is anticipated to include:
The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) is set to host a high-level reception at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) facility in Kahramankazan as part of the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum 2026.
The event, hosted by SSB President Haluk Gorgun, will be attended by senior NATO and allied military and civilian officials as well as executives from international defense companies.
Turkish defense industry products will be displayed for participants, and domestic air platforms will conduct demonstration flights during the event.
Firat noted that one of the most distinctive features of the Ankara summit is the placement of the defense industry at the very center of a NATO leaders' summit for the first time.
This is of particular importance for Türkiye, she wrote, given that the country has built significant production capacity in defense over the past 20 years and is assessed during summit preparations as being among the limited number of countries within the alliance capable of meeting NATO's near-term production capacity needs.
Ankara's position, according to Firat, is that European steps in the defense domain should complement NATO rather than create alternative structures that seek to replace it, and that non-EU NATO allies must also be included in this process, one of Ankara's longstanding core arguments.
Türkiye has emerged as one of NATO's fastest-growing defense industrial players. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), five Turkish companies featured in SIPRI's Top 100 arms producers ranking in 2024, the highest number ever for Türkiye, generating a combined $10.1 billion in arms revenue, up 11% from the previous year.
They accounted for about 1.5% of total Top 100 arms revenue.
Aselsan's arms revenue increased by 24% in 2024, while Baykar generated around 95% of its $1.9 billion revenue from exports. Major Turkish defense firms include Aselsan, Baykar, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Roketsan, MKE, STM, Otokar and FNSS, with key strengths across drones, missiles, armored vehicles, naval platforms, ammunition and military electronics.
NATO estimates that Türkiye's defense spending will reach 2.33% of GDP in 2025, with equipment accounting for 27% of military expenditure.
Separately, NATO plans to announce at the Ankara summit its decision to replace its aging AWACS aircraft with GlobalEye surveillance planes from Sweden's Saab, according to four sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.
NATO allies collectively spent more than $1.4 trillion on defense in 2025, according to the alliance's annual report.
U.S.-based companies accounted for $334 billion, or nearly half of the $679 billion in total arms revenue generated by SIPRI's Top 100 arms producers in 2024, while European companies excluding Russia generated $151 billion, representing around 22%.
European defense spending continues to rise rapidly, with EU member states estimated to have increased spending to €381 billion in 2025, up from €288 billion in 2023.
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