The recent NATO summit celebrated in Türkiye’s capital city of Ankara has brought a number of changes for the alliance, regarding militarization, defense spending, more aggressive posture both towards Russia and West Asia. These are continuations and radicalizations of already taken steps within the alliance.
In the framework of the summit and beyond, the host country, Türkiye, has agreed to a number of steps that might end up in a qualitative change of the country’s foreign policy.
Ankara has long stated to pursue a so-called ‘policy of balance’, both in the Ukraine conflict as well as the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The Turkish government opted for mediation instead of military solutions, and presented itself as an exceptional actor, able to communicate to both sides of the conflicts.
Whether this policy was truly neutral, maintaining Türkiye outside of the conflicts is questionable. Ahead of the summit, the government underlined to a lesser degree its mediation capacities, emphasizing more the country’s strategic location as a benefit to the West, its armed forces’ strength and rapidly developing defense industry.
A number of decisions agreements taken in the summit’s framework and beyond, both between Türkiye and NATO as organization and individual members indicate that even the discourse of the ‘policy of balance’ might be erased, substituted by a stronger emphasis on war preparation.
Here are some the decisions that Türkiye took.
1. New multinational headquarters in Adana and Istanbul, anti-drone center in Konya
Already ahead of the summit, the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed news about the establishment of a multinational corps, a military headquarters (MNC-TUR) hosting troops from several member states, in Adana as part of the NATO southern regional defense plan. The plan covers the Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, the Black Sea and North Africa.
On the other side, the defense ministry confirmed that a NATO Maritime Component Command is planned to be established at Anadolukavagi in Istanbul’s Beykoz district on the Bosphorus. In March, generals from Britain and France were welcomed on the site. The command is expected to play a role within the Ukraine Coalition of the Willing force’s maritime operations.
Following the summit, the establishment of a new center in the southern of Konya was announced. Called “Center of Excellence in Resistance to UAVs”, the facility will provide air surveillance, analysis, tactical preparations for drone wars as well as education for NATO personnel. According to pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak, the site will be part of the EU’s Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS), developing and approving new drone and anti-drone systems.
2. Defense industry agreements
A main event on the NATO summit was the defense industry forum. Here, Türkiye signed a number of agreements regarding development and procurement of arms, including cover strike capabilities, integrated air and missile defense systems, space and surveillance capabilities, critical raw materials for the defense industry, and NATO’s unmanned aerial vehicle superiority, as reports the official news agency Anadolu.
Moreover, Türkiye joined a program to develop new ground-based “deep-strike capabilities”, including a new missile with a 1250-mile range. The program is led by the United Kingdom and has a budget of $50 billion. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “With deep precision strike capability, the UK and our allies will be able to hit high value military targets and the logistical engines that drive armies, deterring any aggressor and strengthening our mutual security. At Ankara we are sending a clear message to President Putin; NATO is stronger, more European and ready to defend our citizens against the long-term threat posed by him and the Russian state.”
Following the summit, Turkish President Erdoğan announced that Turkish budget share for defense industry will increase to 3.5% “before 2030”, including the spending of $24 billon for the air defense system called Steel Dome. He also presented an optimistic expectation regarding Türkiye’s return to the US F-35 fighter program, the lifting of the CAATSA sanctions and even stated having talked with US President Trump about future production of war ships in Turkish shipyards. Erdoğan called on other NATO countries to “lift existing restrictions” on defense cooperation.
Pro-government newspaper Türkiye Today reports that NATO’s new “Front Door” initiative aims to simplify how Turkish defense companies engage with alliance institutions and access procurement and innovation opportunities backed by about €5.3 billion ($6.04 billion) in joint funding. The newspaper reports that Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry published a procurement guide outlining the security and administrative requirements domestic firms must meet to compete for a share of the alliance’s common funding.
3. Joining defense bank
Financing is a crucial aspect in developing the arms industry. Given increasing military spending, a number of NATO countries have proposed to establish a joint international financial institution to provide credit for defense and military-related spending, the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, DSRB. The bank will be headquartered in Canada, with its European seat located in Luxemburg. Türkiye has stated the intention to join the bank.
The bank states as purpose the organization of “affordable capital for governments with long-term, low-cost financing, unlock private capital providing guarantees and enable smarter and faster procurement”.
4. Providing energy supply lines
Defense agreements and increasing military presence in the eastern and southern frontiers of the alliance also present new logistical challenges. Following the summit, on July 22, NATO has approved the “NATO Fuel Supply Chain Capability Program Plan. The 27-billion-euro investment will modernize NATO’s existing fuel storage and distribution infrastructure. It will support new facilities, including pipelines, in the eastern and south-eastern part of the Alliance and ensure NATO forces have the energy supplies they need for warfighting readiness”.
Türkiye first refused to back the program, reports Politico, unless the Turkish projects in the deal get prioritized funding, according to two diplomats. According to Bloomberg reporting back in May, Türkiye had proposed building a $1.2 billion (€1 billion) fuel pipeline for military use to help meet the energy needs of allies on NATO’s eastern European flank, with a new link be built from Türkiye to Romania via Bulgaria.
The final approval by Ankara demonstrates that an agreement has been reached, though NATO did not provide any details. With Türkiye’s energy connections to the south, especially to Iraq, one might expect this pipeline also to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz in case of war in Eastern Europe.
5. Deepening bilateral cooperation: renewed defense agreement with the United Kingdom
On bilateral level, Türkiye has develops relations with a number of NATO members, aside the US. Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar for instance has a strategic alliance with Italy’s Leonardo.
Turkish defense ministry and companies have also long cultivated cooperation with the United Kingdom, including the purchase of fighter jets, defense contracts with Rolls Royce and BAE systems.
On july 8, both sides signed a new Security and Defence Partnership. The UK government stated the partnership would “strengthen their co-operation by deepening consultations through new mechanisms on the politico-military aspects of security and defence policy, including deterrence and defence, military co-operation, defence industry and technology, cyber security and hybrid threats, counter-terrorism, resilience and civil preparedness and space.”
According to the joint statement, both sides “reaffirm the deep commitment to each other’s defence and to the North Atlantic Treaty”.
It follows the renewal of the “Türkiye-United Kingdom Strategic Partnership Document” in April 2026, a document first entered into force in 2007. The joint statement back then had emphasized the agreement as a response to multipolarity: “The accelerating global transition towards a multi-polar, fragmented international order places Türkiye and the UK in a period of heightened risks. NATO, the bedrock of our security and collective defence, has increased its political and military relevance.”
The official text of the recent agreement has not been released. Turkish officials have told Middle East Eye that the deal is “comprehensive”. Others said the agreement “formalises an intra-NATO bloc that hedges against a receding United States and against Greek-French power in the Mediterranean.” Defence Turkey, a website specialized in defense industry with close ties to the government, called it “a new chapter in the bilateral strategic relationship”.
Following the summit, the Turkish government and pro-government media has described relations with NATO as a reset of strategic relations in a positive direction. On July 24, President Erdoğan declared that Turkish hospitality during the summit has received “very positive feedback”. Some analysts summarize the summit as “Turkey’s quiet realignment” with NATO. Getting the West Asian country located in a war-surrounded geography full back into the line of NATO might indeed the biggest success of the alliance’s summit.