Ankara
▪️ During the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country will raise its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP before 2030, allocating an additional $24 billion to the "Steel Dome" air and missile defense project.
▪️ Erdogan emphasized that Turkey, possessing the largest land army in Europe, seeks to place its capabilities at the service of the alliance, proposing the adoption of a NATO center of excellence for its anti-drone systems. He also called on EU allies to avoid duplicating efforts with NATO and to refrain from excluding non-European members.
Regarding Ukraine, he announced support for Kyiv's list of needs while continuing to use communication channels with Moscow to push for peace. He praised US President Donald Trump's efforts to resolve the Iranian crisis, reiterated that a two-state solution is the only path to peace in the Middle East, and called for a de-escalation of the situation in Gaza and Lebanon.