US opposes Ukraine's participation: Politico reveals pressure over invitations to NATO summit in Ankara
United States opposes Ukraine participation in NATO summit (photo: Getty Images)
The United States opposed the participation of Ukraine and four NATO partners from the Indo-Pacific region in this year's Alliance summit to be held in Ankara, Politico reports.
According to four diplomats, the United States is pressuring allies not to invite Ukraine and four official Alliance partners from the Indo-Pacific region — Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea — to official meetings of the July NATO summit in Ankara.
They added that the countries could still be invited to side events, and that such a request is allegedly partly justified by a reduction in the number of high-level meetings.
Keeping NATO partner countries on the sidelines of the summit "would send a signal that perhaps the focus is much more on core NATO issues," said Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson and a senior fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute.
An official speaking for NATO said the alliance would "communicate on participation of partners at the summit in due course."
NATO has also proposed excluding the public forum from this year's meeting — a side event in which country leaders, defense experts, and officials usually take part in various discussion panels.
It is known that, instead, a Defense Industry Forum will take place on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara.
This step is allegedly aimed at cutting costs due to a lack of resources. But it may also be indirectly caused by US pressure, given Washington's broader campaign to reduce funding for international organizations.
NATO summit in Ankara
The 2026 NATO summit will take place on July 7–8 in Ankara, Türkiye, at the Beştepe Presidential Complex. This will be the 36th meeting of Alliance leaders. Türkiye will host the summit for the second time. The main focus will be on implementing decisions adopted at the summit in The Hague last year.
As reported, at the summit in The Hague, NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and renewed their commitments to mutual defense.
