Ukraine Expects Air Defense Boost and Trump Meeting at NATO Summit in Ankara

The NATO summit kicks off in Ankara on Tuesday, July 7, with member states tasked to agree on increasing defense expenditures and measures to support Ukraine this year and next. US President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines.

The Turkish capital is preparing to host leaders from 32 NATO member countries. The main guest is Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Europeans for insufficient defense spending and even threatened to withdraw from the alliance. The final declaration is expected to mention $139 billion—the amount by which European allies and Canada increased their military spending last year. However, not all have contributed equally, notes ERR correspondent Joakim Klementi.

Estonia's position is somewhat ironic: it wants the US to pressure all European countries to boost defense budgets, not just the Baltics, Poland, and perhaps Germany, but also France and Britain. At the same time, Estonia desperately wants to hear US commitment to NATO.

Allies are also expected to approve €70 billion in military aid to Ukraine this year and at least as much next year. However, Ukraine's NATO membership is off the table. Analyst Mykhailo Samus of New Geopolitics Research Network said he expects nothing breakthrough from the summit except for possible bilateral contacts.

The key bilateral meeting is between Zelensky and Trump, who has recently hinted at resuming peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine. Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko stressed the importance of countering Russian disinformation and convincing Trump of Ukraine's military capabilities.

Ukraine has been successfully striking Russian oil refining facilities, but Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. Fesenko noted a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems; during the latest attack on Kyiv, all 29 ballistic missiles hit their targets. Zelensky will request additional interceptors at the official Ukraine-NATO meeting.