NATO leaders are set to announce major arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara on Tuesday, ahead of a summit with President Donald Trump. The move is seen as an effort to demonstrate that European governments are heeding U.S. calls to increase defense spending.
Defense Spending Increases
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that European governments have made significant increases in defense spending, partly due to fears of Russia and also because of President Trump’s encouragement. Rutte noted that NATO’s European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defense in 2025 than in 2024, reaching a total of over $570 billion.
The U.S. has been critical of European governments for relying too heavily on the U.S. for defense through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. President Trump has accused European governments of not doing enough to help the U.S. in its war with Iran and has suggested that he could quit the alliance or disregard its mutual defense pact.
Arms Deals and Summit
Details of the arms deals to be announced on Tuesday have been kept under wraps, but Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz revealed that her country would announce deals and plans worth over €3 billion, including partnerships with Belgium on air defense and Britain on naval ships. NATO also plans to replace its aging fleet of U.S.-built AWACS surveillance aircraft with a Swedish alternative, Saab’s GlobalEye.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
