What are the key challenges Nato is facing ahead of the summit in Ankara?
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North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) leaders gathering for a summit in Ankara on July 7-8 will discuss a host of challenges facing the alliance, from Europe taking on more responsibility for the continent’s security to boosting defence industrial production. Some officials worry the Middle East conflict could overshadow the gathering, but hope leaders will remain focused on the alliance’s core business: defence and deterrence. Here is a look at the main challenges Nato is facing. Keeping Trump in Nato officials say one of their primary goals is to maintain unity and keep the US committed to the alliance’s Article 5 clause, which specifies that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all. The alliance faced two crises this year, which have fuelled tension in the transatlantic relationship: US President Donald Trump’s demands for ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Nato-member Denmark, and his anger at Nato allies over their response to the war on Iran. The US president branded the alliance a “paper tiger” and said he was considering withdrawing from Nato. The alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, has sought to smooth over tensions, using a mix of flattery and data to persuade Trump that European Nato members are fulfilling their promises. Burden-shifting The Trump administration has pushed European governments to take on primary responsibility for the conventional defence of Europe as Washington seeks to dedicate more resources to the Indo-Pacific. Some changes are already underway: Washington has decided to shrink the pool of US military capabilities available to Nato in a crisis, and European Nato members have filled almost all the gaps. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also announced a new review of America’s troop deployments in Europe and threatened to withhold some US dues to Nato if “free-riding” allies did not meet their defence spending commitments. European officials say they are working to step up on defence. But some h