Erdoğan, NATO chief discuss process between Ukraine, Russia

THE HAGUE

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening discussed the latest developments in the peace process between Russia and Ukraine in a call made by Rutte, said Türkiye's Communications Directorate on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his way back from a summit with the US President (Donald Trump) and EU leaders," said the directorate.

Erdogan and Rutte agreed on close coordination and Türkiye's key role in the Ukraine peace process, "as one of NATO’s most important" members, said the statement.

The Turkish president and Rutte also underscored Ankara's important role in Black Sea security.

During the call, the two leaders also discussed viable and sustainable security guarantees.

Meanwhile, Rutte announced Tuesday that Türkiye will host the 2026 NATO Summit on July 7-8 in Ankara.

"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced today that the 2026 NATO Summit will be held on 7 and 8 July 2026 at the Beştepe Presidential Compound (Külliye) in Ankara, Türkiye," the alliance announced in a written statement.

In the statement, Rutte thanked Türkiye for hosting the next summit.

“I want to thank Türkiye for hosting this important meeting. Türkiye has been a strong NATO ally for more than 70 years, making invaluable contributions to our shared security. At our next summit, leaders will continue to make NATO a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance, ready to respond to the critical challenges to our security," he said.

The 2025 NATO Summit took place in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24–25 where the member states pledged to allocate 5 percent of GDP annually by 2035 to meet both core defense requirements and broader security needs.