NATO Considers Delaying 2027 Summit to Placate Trump

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is seriously considering canceling or postponing its summit next year. According to Bloomberg, the goal is to ease tensions with US President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of the Alliance, while also avoiding attention on the host country's low defense spending.

Discussions about moving away from the annual format of leaders' meetings gained momentum during the current summit in Ankara. Trump traveled to Turkey largely because of his good relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and he again used his presence there to question the relevance of the Alliance.

Sources familiar with the confidential talks said the planned summit in Albania could be postponed to prevent the US president from having another public platform to criticize allies. Albania has also long failed to meet its commitment to spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is trying to preserve the annual continuity of the summits and hoped to impress Trump by highlighting the global rise in member states' military budgets.

Whether this strategy will work remains unclear. NATO's senior military official, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, confirmed to Bloomberg TV that the summit will definitely take place in Albania, though whether it happens next year or later is still undecided.

(max)