NATO leaders met Tuesday for the first day of a two-day summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, at which defence spending, Ukraine, and alliance unity topped the agenda.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump to the Presidential Complex, after which the two leaders held one of the summit's most highly anticipated bilateral meetings.
In his first visit to Ankara since returning to office last year, Trump met with his Turkish counterpart behind closed doors to discuss defence cooperation, regional security, and broader strategic ties.
According to Turkish officials, discussions focused on U.S. sanctions imposed on Türkiye under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Ankara's hope of rejoining a U.S.-led F-35 jet fighter programme, and expanding cooperation in the defence industrial field.
The summit brings together leaders from NATO's 32 member states at a time when the Western alliance is confronting Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, instability across the Middle East, and mounting pressure to strengthen its collective deterrent capacity.
At a high-profile NATO Defence Industry Forum held alongside the summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met NATO chief Mark Rutte, with whom he discussed military assistance to Kyiv, especially in terms of air defences.
Along with Ukraine, the summit’s first day was dominated by the issue of defence spending by allies.
In pre-summit remarks, Rutte urged NATO allies to step up investment in their military capabilities, as leaders seek to achieve a spending target of 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035.
At the Defence Industry Forum, several multinational initiatives were unveiled to enhance the production of missiles, drones, air defence systems, and other vital military equipment.
The summit’s first day also saw continued debate over inter-alliance burden-sharing, with Trump again urging European allies to increase defence spending and stressing the need for a stronger NATO.
Leaders are set to continue talks on Wednesday before issuing a final declaration laying out NATO’s position on collective defence, defence-industrial cooperation, and continued support for Ukraine.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Passengers restrained a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 30 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in Europe.
North Korea has dismissed as a “farce” Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang was responsible for a landmine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line that injured three South Korean soldiers.
British counter-terrorism police have arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national as part of an investigation into a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, an airbase used by U.S. forces for operations against Iran.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su have joined the advisory board of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management (SEM), bringing two of the world’s most influential AI chip executives into a forum linking global business leaders with Chinese officials.
Investigators are examining an alleged cockpit assault aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that left the captain injured and forced the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia.
Türkiye’s flagship aviation and technology festival entered its second day on Thursday, bringing young innovators and leading domestic defence firms together in the south-eastern city of Şanlıurfa.
Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces killed nine civilians, including women and children, and injured 11 others, Afghanistan’s government said, as tensions between the neighbours deepen.
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