Lithuania president expects Trump to reaffirm NATO Article 5 as 'sacred' at Ankara summit

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has expressed hope that US President Donald Trump will make an unambiguous commitment to NATO's collective defence article during next week's alliance summit in Ankara. In an interview with LRT TV programme Dienos tema, Nausėda stated he expects a clear declaration that Article 5 is indisputable and sacred. He interpreted Trump's criticism of allies' insufficient defence spending as a call for all members to increase their military budgets. Nausėda argued that Trump is concerned about an equal sharing of responsibility within the alliance. The Lithuanian leader also emphasised that the summit should reinforce the understanding that collective defence concerns all NATO members, not just those bordering Russia. He noted that decisions regarding the future presence of US troops in Lithuania could be made in the coming weeks, but declined to specify a timeline. Nausėda described the signals from Washington as positive and called for patience as the broader picture of US troop deployments across Europe is being finalised. The summit, scheduled for July 7-8, will gather leaders from all 32 NATO member states to discuss defence spending and the evolving role of the United States within the alliance. Trump's previous threats to withdraw from NATO and reduce US military presence in Europe have created uncertainty about the alliance's future.