UKRAINE PERSPECTIVE

Kyiv, July 8, 2026. For Ukraine's presidency, the NATO summit in Ankara boils down to one key meeting: the bilateral encounter between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, scheduled for 2:30 pm local time (the same as in Kyiv) this Wednesday, at the Beştepe presidential complex, according to the official schedule released by the White House. One hour has been allocated for this meeting, just before the US President meets with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and then holds his closing press conference.

Tensions between Trump and certain European allies, particularly regarding the attitude of several NATO countries during the war against Iran, take a backseat in Ukrainian media. The essential aspect for Kyiv remains the expected final statement from the summit: it should label Russia as a threat to Euro-Atlantic security and acknowledge a commitment from member states to provide 70 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine annually in 2026 and 2027, part of this funding coming from the EU's 90 billion euro loan facility.

According to CNN, cited by Ukrainska Pravda, Trump arrived in Ankara "in a bad mood," calling the Alliance a "paper tiger" and reproaching his partners for not supporting him during the war in Iran. He has never ruled out a potential US withdrawal from NATO and continues to question the value of Article 5 for Washington.

Despite this climate, Trump appeared more optimistic about the Ukrainian issue itself. "I think he [Putin] feels the pressure. He wants to end it, and Ukraine wants to end it," he stated on July 6, adding that he believes "we are much closer than people realize." Zelensky, during a phone call on July 4, had thanked Washington "for all the assistance provided, from Javelin to Patriot, including political support."

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, presented by a Kyiv Post editorial as Trump's "whisperer," is expected to publicly highlight the increase in European defense spending – largely dedicated to purchasing American equipment – to alleviate the President's frustrations. Implicitly, the article questions: if Trump conditions his response to a Russian attack on his personal interest rather than treaties, does Article 5 still hold meaning for Ukraine, which does not directly benefit from it but relies on the same administration for its arms deliveries?