Rutte: Ankara summit to show NATO's importance to US

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that at the Ankara summit, he intends to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump the importance of the alliance for Washington.

According to Report, Rutte made this statement during his visit to the United States in a speech at the Atlantic Council.

The secretary general noted that representatives from 42 countries, including NATO's partners from the Middle East and Asia‑Pacific region, will attend the Ankara summit.

The combined economic volume of these countries exceeds $70 trillion, he added.

Rutte also described Trump as NATO's strongest figure and a global leader, stressing that the summit should highlight his role within the alliance.

Moreover, he stated that European members of the alliance and Canada are spending hundreds of billions of dollars more on defense since Trump's return to the White House.

According to him, the Ankara summit will also see the signing of defense contracts worth tens of billions of dollars. Rutte emphasized that this should strengthen US support for European security.