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President Trump arrives in Ankara for the NATO summit on July 7–8 with a clear, unapologetic mission: force allied capitals to honor the defense commitments they promised and finally pay their fair share. The White House is openly demanding allies move toward the 5 percent spending target that Trump helped secure, and the administration intends to hold them accountable rather than wink at empty pledges.
Hosting the summit gives President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpected leverage for Ankara and a platform where Trump can press Europe directly on defense burdens. Erdogan’s warmer ties with Trump have complicated the usual posturing, offering the U.S. an opening to extract real concessions instead of press releases. European leaders who hoped for appeasement will find this summit a test of whether words translate into boots and budgets.
Meanwhile, the strategic relationship between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains central to the region’s balance, with reports that Mr. Netanyahu may visit Washington after Trump returns from Turkey. Trey Yingst’s reporting and other outlets make clear that the Israeli government is coordinating closely with the administration as talks with Tehran reach a critical juncture. That partnership must mean real deterrence, not hollow diplomatic theater.
Across the Middle East, Iran is convulsing as millions pour into Tehran for the state funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of this conflict. Images from the streets show chants of ‘‘Death to America’’ and crowds so massive they threaten further instability — proof that the regime’s brutality breeds a dangerous, anti-Western fervor. Western capitals should not misread these scenes as a call for gentler policies; they are a warning that weakness invites more violence.
From a conservative vantage, Khamenei’s fall and the chaos in Tehran vindicate a policy of firmness: when Iran and its proxies are met with decisive American strength, the region has a chance at a more stable order. President Trump’s insistence on enforcing NATO commitments is the same muscle-flexing the world respects — not because America seeks glory, but because deterrence saves American lives and prevents prolonged, costly wars. Those who criticize toughness are the same elites who ignored decades of unbalanced burden-sharing; their lectures ring hollow.
European dependence on the U.S. defense umbrella has been exposed again, and Brussels can no longer pretend that token promises suffice. Leaders from allied capitals have been warned openly about “unhealthy codependence,” and the reality is that Europe must rearm and integrate seriously if it wants autonomy; freeloading must end. If NATO is to remain credible, American demands for real capability and funding are not only justified but necessary.
The Ankara summit is an opportunity for the United States to translate leverage into lasting security: press allies to pay, press Iran into permanent disarmament, and keep a steel spine behind Israel’s security. The president’s planned meetings — including with leaders like Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others while at NATO — show that America still sets the table on global security and will use that influence to defend freedom and deter aggression. Weakness and sentimentality won’t protect our interests; clear-eyed strength and firm alliances will.
