WIREDGOV

European allies and Canada will try to ease recurring tensions with President Trump by stepping up in a rebalanced alliance: NATO 3.0. But transatlantic unity remains fragile.

A Grand Setting

President Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman 1,000 room palace, complete with a mosque and vibrant turquoise carpets (symbolising Turkey’s maritime power in the colour of its traditional tiles), will be the grand setting for the NATO summit on 7-8 July.

NATO officials hope to make this a show of unity in a year marked by Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland, criticism of Europeans for not showing enough support for his war in Iran, and cuts to American military presence in Europe. Their aim is to repeat the success of last year’s summit in The Hague, where NATO leaders agreed to invest 5% of GDP on defence. This major pledge helped placate President Trump but also sent a strong message of deterrence to President Putin.

Ankara is supposed to be about delivery, with a clear path to increased defence spending, faster defence production, and more sustainable support for Ukraine. ‘We will breathe life into the concept of NATO 3.0: a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,’ Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

He has three reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Europeans are investing record sums in defence; they are backfilling (at least on paper) most of the gaps left by the US in NATO defence plans; and all 32 allies have already agreed the summit declaration.

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