Trump to attend NATO summit in Turkey as US signals push for alliance reforms

United States President Donald Trump is expected to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey in July, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio made the announcement on Wednesday while speaking before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, confirming that the summit will hold in Ankara on July 7–8 and will bring together leaders of all 32 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

He said the gathering would be a critical moment for the alliance, noting that Washington still remains committed to NATO but believes significant reforms are needed.

> “The President himself will be attending the next NATO meeting of heads of state… We’re still in NATO, but NATO needs significant changes,” Rubio said.

According to him, the summit is likely to be one of the most consequential in NATO’s recent history, as member states seek to address growing internal disagreements over defense cooperation and global security commitments.

Tensions within the alliance have reportedly increased in recent months following differences between the United States, European allies, and Israel over military actions against Iran, as well as Washington’s decision to reduce some troop deployments in Europe.

Rubio also criticised Spain’s refusal to allow the use of its military bases for U.S. operations linked to the Iran conflict, describing the move as undermining collective defense arrangements.

> “We have members of that alliance that are basically denying the use of those bases in a contingency,” he said.

The NATO summit is expected to focus on defense spending, burden-sharing among member states, and the future structure of the alliance amid shifting geopolitical tensions involving Russia, the Middle East, and global security realignments.