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NATO allies will pledge "sustainable, predictable and long-term" security assistance for Ukraine at next week's Ankara summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the meeting will also address Middle East developments and U.S.-Iran diplomacy.
Rutte made the remarks at a joint news conference in Germany with Merz and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
He said the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara will focus on turning increased defense spending into capabilities and significantly strengthening defense industries across the alliance.
"NATO's message to defense industry across the alliance is clear: Be ready, speed up, work together, open new production lines, expand supply chains and deliver quickly what we need for our security," Rutte said.
Rutte said pressure on Russia must be maintained, warning that Moscow will remain a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security even after its war against Ukraine ends.
"Russia, even after the war against Ukraine ends, will remain a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security," he said.
Rutte said the U.S. is "indispensable" for Ukraine's defense.
He said U.S. weapons and equipment continue to flow to Ukraine with financing from Canada and European countries, describing the system as "fair."
Rutte said the Ankara summit will also focus on strengthening NATO's defense industry and ensuring allies can deliver what is needed for security.
He said allies must transform rising defense spending into military capabilities and expand production across the alliance.
Rutte described the global security environment as "complex and unstable."
"Look at how Iran tried to hold the world economy hostage by closing the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
He welcomed allies' commitments to ensuring free passage through the strait.
The NATO chief said the Ankara summit will come at a time when allies are expected to discuss long-term security support for Ukraine, defense capabilities and wider regional security risks.
Merz said NATO leaders will use next week's summit in Ankara to discuss the future of the alliance, transatlantic cooperation and continued support for Ukraine, while also addressing the latest developments in the Middle East.
"The NATO summit will also address the future of the Middle East," Merz told reporters.
"We continue to help achieve lasting peace between the United States and Iran. Our shared goal remains the same: an end to Iran's nuclear program and the permanent opening of the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
Asked whether Germany would be willing to contribute financially to implementing a U.S.-Iran framework peace deal signed last month, which includes a planned $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, Merz signaled Berlin's openness to financial support if the ceasefire is sustained.
"We are now hoping for an end to hostilities and the conclusion of an agreement that goes beyond the existing memorandum of understanding," Merz said.
He said Berlin had repeatedly expressed its readiness to support a peace deal between the United States and Iran.
"Once the focus shifts to rebuilding the region's destroyed infrastructure, everything is open for discussion. But first and foremost, the fighting must stop," Merz said.
"We will certainly then play our part, driven also by our own economic interests, in restoring the region's infrastructure, particularly the energy infrastructure, to ensure a secure supply for Europe and Germany," he added.
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