President Donald Trump departs for Turkey on Monday for a NATO summit where allied leaders are expected to showcase increased defense spending, as the alliance seeks to demonstrate it is answering his longstanding demands for greater burden-sharing.
The two-day summit in Ankara comes after Trump spent years pressing European allies to invest more in their own militaries instead of relying disproportionately on U.S. taxpayers.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and allied leaders are expected to highlight tens of billions of dollars in new defense commitments while emphasizing progress toward a goal of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense, The Washington Post reported.
Trump repeatedly has argued that the United States shoulders an unfair share of NATO's defense costs and has renewed his criticism in recent days, saying America spends more than any other nation while receiving too little in return.
His pressure campaign has become a defining feature of his relationship with the alliance and is widely credited with accelerating defense spending across Europe.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the summit will measure whether allies are fulfilling their commitments, noting that countries such as Poland, the Nordic nations, the Baltic states, and Germany have made significant progress while others continue to lag behind, ABC News reported.
Trump is scheduled to meet separately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and other NATO leaders before holding a news conference Wednesday.
The president has said his relationship with Erdogan was a major reason he chose to attend this year's gathering.
The summit also comes as NATO members weigh their role following the U.S. military campaign against Iran and amid continuing concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Senior U.S. officials said freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway is expected to be discussed, although many allies lack the naval assets needed for a significant mission.
Administration officials also indicated that a Pentagon review of U.S. force posture in Europe could eventually reduce America's military footprint as European nations assume greater responsibility for defending the continent.
Officials stressed that any changes would reflect global strategic priorities rather than politics.
Meanwhile, Ukraine remains high on the agenda.
Trump is expected to discuss possible paths toward ending the war with Zelenskyy after recently speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
NATO leaders are also expected to announce additional military assistance for Ukraine while continuing efforts to strengthen the alliance's collective defenses against Russia, according to reports.