French President Macron arrives in Ankara for NATO summit

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday to attend the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit.

Macron’s aircraft landed at Esenboga Airport, where he was welcomed by Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Isikhan and other officials.

NATO heads of state and government are meeting in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance’s 2026 summit.

The two-day meeting will focus on implementing defense spending commitments agreed at the 2025 summit, sustaining military support for Ukraine and expanding defense industrial production.

The summit is taking place amid renewed debate over transatlantic burden-sharing and continued uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to participate in summit events.