The head of NATO announced several arms contracts on Tuesday, hoping to convince Donald Trump of the seriousness of the Europeans in strengthening their defense capabilities, on the first day of an Alliance summit in Ankara.
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Expected Tuesday afternoon in the Turkish capital, the American president is not angry with his European allies whom he accuses of having let him down in the war that the United States launched with Israel against Iran.
NATO member countries and “companies on both sides of the Atlantic will (…) sign contracts worth billions, literally billions of dollars,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
According to an Alliance diplomat, the total value of these contracts exceeds $50 billion.
A major contract was thus confirmed with the Swedish firm Saab to replace the fleet of Awacs reconnaissance planes, manufactured by the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which NATO currently has.
This is an order for ten Global Eye devices, the amount of which has not been revealed. The replacement of the Awacs fleet was announced by NATO in November 2023, and Saab was expected to win this contract, after the withdrawal of Boeing.
The Airbus group, for its part, won a contract to supply a tenth A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport), a military transport and refueling aircraft, to the NATO fleet.
The head of the Alliance made this announcement in front of an audience of industrialists and NATO officials. Gathered in the Turkish capital for a Defense Industry Forum, they intend to demonstrate the commitment of European allies to develop their defense capabilities, as demanded by Donald Trump’s United States.
At least 5%
Donald Trump’s management “consumes a lot of energy” within NATO, recognizes a diplomat in Brussels.
The Europeans have launched a major seduction operation, an exercise in which Mark Rutte has become a master since he was called in 2024 to head this organization.
Last year, the American president obtained from Europeans and Canada that they commit to devoting at least 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to their security.
Many are still far from reaching such a percentage, but Mark Rutte does not despair of convincing Donald Trump that the movement has been launched.
In 2025, “European Allies and Canada spent almost 20% more on defense than the previous year. If we consider 2025 and 2026 combined, this represents $258 billion in additional investments,” he stressed.
Now, “we must put this money at the service of our defense,” he added. “This means making innovation a top priority, overcoming the fragmentation of national defense industries and reducing red tape.”
And the example comes from Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Ankara on Tuesday, where he is due to meet, among others, Mark Rutte and the host of this summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Zelensky, who spoke on the phone this weekend with Donald Trump, is due to meet him in the Turkish capital.
The Ukrainian defense industry has gained expertise and know-how, particularly in terms of drones, from which the Europeans want to draw inspiration.
In Ankara, Ukraine’s European allies also intend to reaffirm their support.
With Canada, but without the United States, they will commit to providing military aid to kyiv of 40 billion euros in 2026 and at least as much in 2027, according to diplomats. This sum will be added to the 30 billion euros in military aid that the European Union has promised for its part, in 2026 as in 2027, in the form of loans.
The Europeans also hope to confirm the dynamic favorable to Ukraine obtained at the G7 summit in Evian, France, in mid-June.
They are also counting on Mr. Erdogan to contain a possible outburst of anger on the part of the tenant of the White House. The excellent relationship between the two men is the summit’s best chance of success, according to a NATO diplomat.
