US pushes to bar Ukraine from NATO summit in Ankara

Thursday 19 February 2026 - 15:50

By: Dakir Madiha

US pushes to bar Ukraine from NATO summit in Ankara

The United States is urging NATO allies to exclude Ukraine and four Indo Pacific partner countries from formal sessions of the alliance’s July summit in Ankara, according to Politico, which cited four diplomats familiar with the discussions.

Washington is pressing to prevent Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea from attending the official meetings scheduled for July 7 and 8, instead limiting their involvement to lower profile side events. The move reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to refocus NATO strictly on its core Euro Atlantic defense mandate, stepping back from years of expanded global partnerships and crisis management initiatives.

Diplomats have described the US campaign internally as a return to factory settings, aimed at scaling back activities beyond the alliance’s traditional missions of collective defense and deterrence. The push extends beyond summit participation to include calls for ending NATO’s advisory mission in Iraq by September and reducing the alliance’s peacekeeping presence in Kosovo.

The strategy was outlined last week in Brussels by Deputy Defense Secretary Elbridge Colby during a meeting of NATO defense ministers. Colby told allies that not every mission can be treated as a priority and not every opportunity can be fully pursued, while reaffirming continued US commitment to European security.

The approach has met resistance among some member states. One diplomat told Politico that partnerships are essential to deterrence and defense, describing any rollback of overseas initiatives as misguided.

NATO officials have also floated the possibility of canceling this year’s public forum, a traditional parallel event that brings together heads of state, defense experts and civil society groups during summit meetings. Diplomats suggested that indirect US pressure may have contributed to the proposal, as part of wider efforts by the administration to reduce funding for international organizations.

The proposed shift would mark a departure from recent practice. Under President Joe Biden, Indo Pacific partners attended three consecutive NATO summits starting in 2022, with Washington highlighting cooperation on shared security challenges, including support for Ukraine. No final decision has been taken, and any changes would require unanimous approval from all 32 NATO members.

The dispute over summit participation comes amid a broader reassessment of US defense posture. Colby told European ministers that Europe must take primary responsibility for its own conventional defense, as the United States redirects more attention toward deterring China and protecting its interests in the Western Hemisphere.

The White House declined to comment publicly on NATO partnership programs when contacted by Politico.