At the NATO summit in Ankara, the alliance is focusing on increasing defense spending and announcing new investments. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced $40 billion for anti-drone capabilities. The funds will be used to purchase modern air defense systems. Additionally, Rutte said NATO will buy up to 10 Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to replace its aging fleet of AWACS early warning aircraft, choosing the Swedish company over US planemaker Boeing, Reuters reported.
NATO will also buy up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high altitude surveillance drones, with Norway, Finland, Germany and Denmark signing a letter of intent for the purchase. Rutte said the allies will also work together to acquire, store, transport, and manage stockpiles of critical defense materials.
On the sidelines of the summit, a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump is planned. The meeting may discuss military aid to Ukraine and security guarantees. NATO countries reaffirmed their commitment to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP.
During the summit, Rutte spoke at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey. He emphasized the importance of investing in innovation to maintain the alliance's technological edge. NATO's new purchases are aimed at strengthening collective defense and countering new threats, including drones and hypersonic weapons.
On the first day of the summit, NATO leaders reiterated commitments to increase defense spending and modernize military capabilities. The alliance continues to enhance collective defense in response to the deteriorating security situation due to Russia's war in Ukraine.