Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he expects to hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump when Trump attends the NATO summit in Ankara next month. The summit, scheduled for July 7-8, will bring together 32 NATO leaders and foreign ministers from partner countries in the Gulf and the Asia-Pacific region.
Asked by reporters in parliament whether he and Trump would meet separately outside the multilateral sessions, Erdogan responded that "it will most likely happen" but provided no further details on timing or agenda. The comment follows an increasingly close working relationship between the two leaders since Mr. Trump returned to the White House in 2024, during which the pair have increased cooperation on regional matters and resolved outstanding disputes, including the case involving Turkish state lender Halkbank.
Analysts in Ankara have flagged several points expected to feature on the summit agenda. Burhanettin Duran, Erdogan's communications director, told Turkish media that burden-sharing among allies would be a central issue. Duran said, according to a readout of his remarks, that "the changing security architecture is pushing NATO allies to re-evaluate their defence spending. In that framework, Turkey aims to reach the 3.5% + 1.5% target by the end of 2030."
The gathering will include representatives of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, a forum that brings together some Middle Eastern countries with NATO, as well as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia - the grouping referred to in some briefings as the Indo-Pacific Four. These partners will attend at the foreign ministers level.
Organizers arrive in Ankara amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing and defence expenditures. U.S. officials have also raised complaints concerning some allies' roles related to efforts to re-open the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war - an issue that has added friction to discussions ahead of the summit.
Turkey has positioned Trump’s attendance as important for signaling unity across the alliance, and Erdogan’s indication that a one-on-one meeting with the U.S. president is likely suggests Ankara anticipates using the summit not only for broad alliance talks but also for bilateral diplomacy aimed at resolving outstanding issues and coordinating on shared priorities.