NATO is considering ending the practice of holding annual summits, which would avoid a potentially tense meeting with US President Donald Trump in his final year in office. This is reported by Reuters, citing six sources.
The frequency of NATO summits has varied over the alliance’s 77-year history, but its leaders have met every summer since 2021 and will meet this year in the Turkish capital Ankara on 7 and 8 July.
But some NATO members are pushing for a slowdown, a senior European official and five diplomats, all from NATO member states, told Reuters.
One diplomat said the 2027 summit, to be held in Albania, is likely to take place this autumn and NATO is considering not holding it at all in 2028, the year of the US presidential election and Trump’s last full calendar year in office.
Another said some countries were pushing for summits every two years, adding that a decision had not yet been made and Secretary General Mark Rutte would have the final say.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions within NATO. In response to a Reuters query, a NATO official said, “NATO will continue to hold regular meetings of heads of state and government, and between summits NATO allies will continue to consult, plan and decide on our common security.”
Two sources cited Trump as a factor, but several said broader considerations were being taken into account.
The Trump administration has repeatedly harshly criticised many of the 31 other members of the defence alliance, and recently rebuked some of them for not providing more support for US military operations against Iran.