The official communiqué from the 36th NATO Summit held in Ankara on July 7-8, 2026 was released. The document reaffirmed the commitment of NATO member states to collective defense under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. The communiqué emphasized measures taken by allies against Russia's long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and the ongoing threat of terrorism.

European member states and Canada increased their investments in basic defense requirements by over 139 billion dollars in 2025. The communiqué noted that these investments provide necessary capabilities while strengthening industrial infrastructure and resilience. At the Ankara summit, allies announced over 50 billion dollars in new procurement and committed to expanding joint production capacity and accelerating innovation through collaboration with industry.

The historical development of NATO defense industry cooperation has played a significant role in the post-Cold War period. Since the 1990s, the alliance has emphasized weapons systems standardization, technology sharing, and joint procurement projects among members. The 50 billion dollar procurement package announced at the Ankara summit reflects this strategy in contemporary form. Removing barriers to defense trade among allies and increasing industrial depth are core components of NATO's long-term deterrence strategy.

The communiqué emphasized NATO's 360-degree deterrence and defense approach, highlighting the importance of nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities alongside space and cyber capabilities. Deep precision strike capability, integrated air and missile defense, unmanned systems, advanced technologies, and intelligence capabilities are considered necessary for deploying, supporting, and sustaining forces across all operational domains. Allies also committed to developing interoperable transatlantic battle cloud and operationalizing artificial intelligence models.

The communiqué also stressed the importance of security support for Ukraine. European member states and Canada finance a significant portion of security assistance provided to Ukraine through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. Allies committed to providing Ukraine with 70 billion euros in military equipment, assistance, and training in 2026, while reaffirming their sovereign commitment to sustaining at least the same level of support in 2027. Iran's non-acquisition of nuclear weapons and respect for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz were also among the important points in the communiqué.