NATO chief heads to Ankara with one demand: 'Turn Hague promises into results'

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte departed his Brussels headquarters Monday with a direct message for allied leaders gathering in Ankara: the time for pledges is over, and the two-day summit must deliver concrete results on defense spending, production and Ukraine.

"Last year in the Hague we did a lot, but now we need to deliver on the promises made there," Rutte said in a video message shared on NATO's social media accounts, filmed from his Brussels office before departing for Türkiye.

Rutte: Summit will be 'focused on results'

Rutte said the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara "will largely focus on results."

"We will need to discuss credible spending plans to make sure all countries are on track to reach the 5% target," he said.

He noted positive momentum on the defense production side. "There are good developments on getting defense industries to produce more," Rutte said.

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Ukraine must be 'as strong as possible'

On Ukraine, Rutte said allies must ensure Kyiv has what it needs to remain strong.

"We need to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to remain as strong as possible in the fight and, of course, to be in the best possible position when peace talks start," he said.

This photograph shows a multistorey residential building partially destroyed as a result of Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on July 6, 2026. (AFP Photo)

32 members, numerous leaders and biggest defense forum ever

The 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit will be held in Ankara on July 7-8, hosted by Türkiye.

Alongside the 32 member states, leaders of Asia-Pacific NATO partners and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend.

On the summit's first day, leaders will convene at what is described as the most comprehensive NATO Defense Industry Forum held to date.

The summit's main agenda items, including Europe assuming primary responsibility for conventional defense and the "NATO 3.0" vision for recalibrating the U.S. military presence in Europe, will be addressed in sessions on the second day.

Unity and solidarity remain the top expectations from the summit, despite recent transatlantic tensions. The Ankara summit is expected to draw the largest international media presence of any NATO summit on record.

Rutte closed his video message by saying: "I'm leaving now. See you in Ankara."

July 06, 2026 12:55 PM GMT+03:00