NATO

NATO

From July 7 to 8, heads of state and government will gather at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, where allies will seek to capitalize on the success of last year’s landmark defense spending pledge and begin converting cash into capabilities. Check out our commentary, analysis, and events covering the convening, courtesy of our experts.

TRACKING NATO SPENDING

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 20, 2025

NATO defense spending tracker

By Kristen Taylor, Julia Salabert

The Transatlantic Security Initiative’s NATO defense spending tracker delves into data and figures to analyze current defense spending trends.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

FEATURED READING

Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

Dispatches Apr 20, 2026

Five ideas to make the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara a success

By Atlantic Council experts

While the upcoming summit is unlikely to produce anything as singularly significant as 2025’s “5 percent” pledge, there are important steps the Alliance should take.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

Dispatches Apr 10, 2026

Dispatch from Vilnius: Warfare is evolving rapidly. Here’s how NATO can keep up.

By David Julazadeh, Julia Salabert

The most important change is that the cost barrier to generating strategic effects has dropped dramatically.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia
Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

Dispatches Jan 21, 2026

To adapt to today’s security threats, NATO should prioritize the basics of defense innovation

Transatlantic allies must focus on accelerating defense innovation while strengthening their defense industrial bases.
Defense Industry Defense Policy
Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

New Atlanticist Jun 27, 2025

Four fundamental questions the NATO Summit did not answer

By Torrey Taussig

Over the coming months, NATO allies will have to wrestle with questions about the US commitment to Europe, their shared approach to China, and more.
Conflict Defense Industry
Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

Inflection Points Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from The Hague: It’s been Trump’s week in Europe and Iran

By Frederick Kempe

What connects the recent events in Iran and at the NATO Summit is that they won’t be remembered for the threats countered but rather for the opportunities seized.
Europe & Eurasia Iran
Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

Fast Thinking Jun 25, 2025

Trump warmed to NATO at The Hague. But what about Ukraine?

By Atlantic Council

Allies reiterated their commitment to collective defense. But absent from the communiqué was any mention of how Russia’s war against Ukraine should end.
Europe & Eurasia NATO

FEATURED EVENTS

Public Event Fri, April 17, 2026 • 11:45 am ET

The British ambassador to the US on Euro-Atlantic security and the Middle East

British Ambassador to the United States Sir Christian Turner joins the Atlantic Council to discuss the UK’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and its vision for the future of Euro-Atlantic security cooperation.
Europe & Eurasia Iran Middle East NATO
Online Event Tue, April 7, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

US-Turkish defense relations and the upcoming NATO Summit

A discussion on the new era for the bilateral US-Turkish defense relationship and the significance of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara.
Defense Industry Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia Geopolitics & Energy Security
Public Event Thu, December 4, 2025 • 2:00 pm ET

General Aurelio Colagrande on preparing NATO for the challenges of tomorrow

The deputy supreme allied commander transformation talks about shaping the Alliance’s future through foresight and innovation.
Defense Policy National Security NATO United States and Canada

TUNE IN

Programs and initiatives

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

Learn more

Within the Atlantic Council’s longstanding commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship, the Atlantic Council Turkey Program conducts research, provides thought leadership, and offers a platform for strategic dialogue between the US, Turkey, and NATO allies to address the region’s toughest challenges and explore opportunities, including in the fields of energy, business & trade, technology, defense, and security.

Learn more

Content

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2026

Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

By Zahar Hryniv

More than a year since Trump returned to the White House, it is clear that Europe needs to develop its own strategic vision for the continent’s defense. It is equally apparent that Ukraine must be central to this vision, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Defense Industry

In the News

Apr 29, 2026

Charai for The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune: The Crown’s Moral Voice: King Charles in Washington and the Test of Western Clarity

By Atlantic Council

NATO Partnerships Politics & Diplomacy

Transcript

Apr 23, 2026

Full transcript: The 2026 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards honor leaders shaping the future with a collaborative spirit

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council honored two trailblazing corporate leaders, a military official, and a Grammy-winning country music artist for their roles in shaping the global landscape.

Freedom and Prosperity NATO

Event Recap

Apr 23, 2026

The 2026 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards: Honoring leaders who have thrived in a time of volatility

By Katherine Golden, Daniel Malloy

The Atlantic Council honored Banco Santander's Ana Botín, Chevron's Mike Wirth, NATO's Admiral Pierre Vandier, and country music artist Tanya Tucker.

Freedom and Prosperity NATO

Dispatches

Apr 20, 2026

Five ideas to make the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara a success

By Atlantic Council experts

While the upcoming summit is unlikely to produce anything as singularly significant as 2025’s “5 percent” pledge, there are important steps the Alliance should take.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2026

Could Bulgaria replace Hungary as Putin’s proxy inside the EU?

By Jan Surotchak

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's recent election defeat was widely seen as a major setback for Russia, but victory for the pro-Kremlin candidate in this week's Bulgarian parliamentary elections could provide Putin with a new proxy inside the EU, writes Jan Surotchak.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2026

Orbán’s Hungarian election defeat: Good for Ukraine, bad for Russia

By Peter Dickinson

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's historic election defeat has removed a major obstacle to Ukraine's EU integration while robbing Putin of his most important European ally, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Elections

Dispatches

Apr 10, 2026

Dispatch from Vilnius: Warfare is evolving rapidly. Here’s how NATO can keep up.

By David Julazadeh, Julia Salabert

The most important change is that the cost barrier to generating strategic effects has dropped dramatically.

Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Apr 7, 2026

Fusion on paper or in practice? Making the cloud work for ISR and NATO

By Martin Zuber, Trey Herr

NATO’s eastern flank is under persistent pressure across multiple domains. The Alliance's core challenge is not sensing capacity

Defense Technologies NATO

TURKEYSource

Mar 31, 2026

Could Turkey help mediate an end to the Iran war?

By Matthew Bryza

As US President Donald Trump searches for a way to exit the US-Israeli war against Iran, Turkey could be a useful mediator between the warring parties.

Conflict Iran
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Experts

Fellow

Anca Agachi

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Africa Conflict

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Millennium fellow

Kirk Allen

Digital Communications Lead, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Millennium Leadership Program

Middle East NATO Partnerships

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Fellow

Ryan Arick

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Security & Defense

Fellow

Lisa Aronsson

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia NATO
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