NATO member countries have announced a new weapons procurement plan worth $50 billion, approximately 75.4 trillion won, to accelerate their defense capabilities.
They reaffirmed their commitment to continue military support for Ukraine while taking on greater responsibility to move away from a security structure reliant on the United States.
According to Yonhap News, NATO leaders adopted the 'Ankara Summit Declaration' during a summit held in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 (local time), agreeing to pursue the new procurement plan exceeding $50 billion.
The leaders decided to accelerate innovation in the defense industry through expanded joint production capabilities and cooperation within the defense sector, while also continuously lowering trade barriers among member countries.
This declaration reflects a determination to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities amid the prolonged military threat from Russia. The leaders stated, "Russia poses a long-term threat to European and transatlantic security and stability," and pledged to implement the defense spending increase plan agreed upon at last year's summit in The Hague without delay.
At the previous summit in The Hague, NATO agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, reflecting a request from then-President Donald Trump.
The leaders emphasized in the declaration, "We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to collective defense and the Atlantic alliance," stating that European allies and Canada are taking on greater responsibility for alliance defense in cooperation with the United States. This highlights the growing role of European self-defense as the U.S. reduces its security burden in Europe and focuses on its Indo-Pacific strategy.
NATO also proposed measures to enhance advanced capabilities for future battlefields. The leaders agreed to combine nuclear and conventional forces, missile defense systems, and space and cyber capabilities, while expanding the introduction of combat cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that can be operated across the Atlantic.
Support for Ukraine will continue. According to Yonhap News, NATO reaffirmed its commitment to provide approximately €70 billion (about 120.4 trillion won) in military equipment, training, and various support this year, and to maintain at least the same level of support through 2027. The declaration noted, "Ukraine contributes to transatlantic security."
Regarding the situation in the Middle East, NATO reaffirmed its position that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and called for respect for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy transport.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference after the summit, "The message from this summit is that NATO is delivering results," adding, "We are recalibrating the security balance for the better, and this is the essence of 'NATO 3.0.'"
Additionally, Stoltenberg unveiled the 'NATO Drone Edge' initiative, a drone response system, and announced a €27 billion (about 46.5 trillion won) modernization project for fuel infrastructure, including pipelines connecting to NATO's eastern region. This project is linked to initiatives prioritized by Turkey, the host of the summit, according to Yonhap News.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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