NATO

NATO

From July 7 to 8, heads of state and government will gather at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, where allies will seek to capitalize on the success of last year’s landmark defense spending pledge and begin converting cash into capabilities. Check out our commentary, analysis, and events covering the convening, courtesy of our experts.

TRACKING NATO SPENDING

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 20, 2025

NATO defense spending tracker

By Kristen Taylor, Julia Salabert

The Transatlantic Security Initiative’s NATO defense spending tracker delves into data and figures to analyze current defense spending trends.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

FEATURED READING

Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

Dispatches Apr 20, 2026

Five ideas to make the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara a success

By Atlantic Council experts

While the upcoming summit is unlikely to produce anything as singularly significant as 2025’s “5 percent” pledge, there are important steps the Alliance should take.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

Dispatches Apr 10, 2026

Dispatch from Vilnius: Warfare is evolving rapidly. Here’s how NATO can keep up.

By David Julazadeh, Julia Salabert

The most important change is that the cost barrier to generating strategic effects has dropped dramatically.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia
Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

Dispatches Jan 21, 2026

To adapt to today’s security threats, NATO should prioritize the basics of defense innovation

By Julia Salabert, Kristen Taylor

Transatlantic allies must focus on accelerating defense innovation while strengthening their defense industrial bases.
Defense Industry Defense Policy
Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

New Atlanticist Jun 27, 2025

Four fundamental questions the NATO Summit did not answer

By Torrey Taussig

Over the coming months, NATO allies will have to wrestle with questions about the US commitment to Europe, their shared approach to China, and more.
Conflict Defense Industry
Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

Inflection Points Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from The Hague: It’s been Trump’s week in Europe and Iran

By Frederick Kempe

What connects the recent events in Iran and at the NATO Summit is that they won’t be remembered for the threats countered but rather for the opportunities seized.
Europe & Eurasia Iran
Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.

Fast Thinking Jun 25, 2025

Trump warmed to NATO at The Hague. But what about Ukraine?

By Atlantic Council

Allies reiterated their commitment to collective defense. But absent from the communiqué was any mention of how Russia’s war against Ukraine should end.
Europe & Eurasia NATO

FEATURED EVENTS

Public Event Tue, April 28, 2026 • 10:15 am ET

Belgium’s defense minister on the future of transatlantic security relations

Minister of Defense of Belgium Theo Francken shares his views on transatlantic security developments and Belgium’s role in Europe’s growing defense industry.
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia NATO Politics & Diplomacy
Public Event Fri, April 17, 2026 • 11:45 am ET

The British ambassador to the US on Euro-Atlantic security and the Middle East

British Ambassador to the United States Sir Christian Turner joins the Atlantic Council to discuss the UK’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and its vision for the future of Euro-Atlantic security cooperation.
Europe & Eurasia Iran Middle East NATO
Online Event Tue, April 7, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

US-Turkish defense relations and the upcoming NATO Summit

A discussion on the new era for the bilateral US-Turkish defense relationship and the significance of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara.
Defense Industry Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia Geopolitics & Energy Security

TUNE IN

Programs and initiatives

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

Learn more

Within the Atlantic Council’s longstanding commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship, the Atlantic Council Turkey Program conducts research, provides thought leadership, and offers a platform for strategic dialogue between the US, Turkey, and NATO allies to address the region’s toughest challenges and explore opportunities, including in the fields of energy, business & trade, technology, defense, and security.

Learn more

Content

In the News

Nov 19, 2025

Yevgeniya Gaber joins El Espanol for comments on president Zelenskyy’s visits to Spain and Turkey, and his meeting with President Erdogan.
Europe & Eurasia NATO

Report

Nov 17, 2025

Building the digital front line: Understanding big tech decision-making in Ukraine

By Emma Schroeder

In this report, author Emma Schroeder examines which factors most shaped tech companies’ decisions as to whether and how to lend their support to Ukraine throughout the war.

Cybersecurity Defense Industry

TURKEYSource

Nov 10, 2025

Turkey’s Eurofighter stopgap: The best available, not the best possible

By Can Kasapoğlu

Turkey’s Eurofighter Typhoon procurement offers air superiority and could lead to deeper intra-NATO cooperation.

Defense Technologies Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Oct 30, 2025

What does the US drawdown in Romania mean for European defense? 

By Atlantic Council experts

The drawdown marks the first officially announced step of the Trump administration’s planned pullback of its European force presence.

Central Europe Defense Policy

In the News

Oct 25, 2025

Yevgeniya Gaber interviewed and quoted by Clingendael Institute on Turkey’s role in the Black Sea and opportunities to cooperate with the EU within the EU Black Sea hub framework
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2025

Three ways the US can build a more lethal fighting force in the Arctic

By Charlotte Bertrand

As the Pentagon looks to shift its focus to the Western Hemisphere, the United States must not neglect the Arctic region.

Maritime Security NATO

In the News

Oct 20, 2025

Pınar Dost op-ed for Turkiye Today on Russia-Ukraine and Gaza conflicts
Conflict Europe & Eurasia

Report

Oct 15, 2025

How the US and Europe can deter and respond to Russia’s chemical, biological, and nuclear threats

By Philippe Dickinson, Ryan Arick, Natasha Lander Finch

A willingness to use chemical weapons has long been a feature of Russian aggression, on the battlefield in Ukraine and on the streets of Europe. Will Russia escalate to the use of biological weapons? And what about the country’s nuclear saber-rattling? An in-depth study of how Russia uses these threats calls for a strong NATO response.

Conflict Crisis Management

In the News

Oct 10, 2025

Yevgeniya Gaber joins Defense News to discuss Ukraine’s defense cooperation and knowledge transfer to European countries in developing counter-UAV capabilities
Conflict Defense Industry

TURKEYSource

Oct 9, 2025

How energy and trade are redefining US–Turkey regional cooperation

By Pınar Dost

As Ankara and Washington are recalibrating their energy and trade strategies, a new model of US–Turkey cooperation is emerging.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment
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Experts

Fellow

Anca Agachi

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Africa Conflict

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Millennium fellow

Kirk Allen

Digital Communications Lead, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Millennium Leadership Program

Middle East NATO Partnerships

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Fellow

Ryan Arick

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Security & Defense

Fellow

Lisa Aronsson

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia NATO
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Events

Online Event Thu, June 25, 2026 • 1:45 pm ET

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the Ankara Summit Agenda

AN AC FRONT PAGE EVENT—NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte lays out his priorities for the upcoming Ankara summit.

Europe & Eurasia NATO United States and Canada