NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to attend the alliance's annual summit in Ankara this July. Speaking at a press conference following a foreign ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rutte stated, "I invited him already. He will be there."
The invitation marks a shift from last year's summit in The Hague, where Zelenskyy's participation was limited at the insistence of the Trump administration. It remains unclear how many of the private sessions within the summit he will be permitted to attend this year.
Last year, the White House pushed to reduce focus on the war in Ukraine, demanding instead that allies commit to spending 5% of GDP on defence as the summit's central deliverable. This contrasted sharply with the 2024 Washington summit under the Biden administration, where Zelenskyy was a guest of honour and allies pledged an "indestructible path" to NATO membership for Kyiv. Such promises are no longer part of the conversation under the current US administration.
US Pressure Over Iran War Dominates NATO Talks
The meeting in Sweden was widely seen as a critical staging post ahead of the leaders' summit in Ankara. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the occasion to reiterate Washington's frustration that NATO allies did not join the US and Israel in the war against Iran, which began on 28 February with surprise strikes on the Islamic republic.
Speaking alongside Rutte, Rubio indicated that President Donald Trump would personally express his "disappointment" when he meets fellow leaders in Ankara. He said the matter "will have to be addressed," as allies were neither consulted nor informed about the military strategy or objectives behind the conflict. Most European countries felt no obligation to become party to the war, but Trump has lashed out publicly, accusing European nations and Canada of being "cowards" for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway carrying one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies.
"The solution would be to open the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote in a social media post, describing it as "a simple military maneuver…with so little risk." He added, "COWARDS," and warned, "We will REMEMBER!"
Rubio also raised hopes for a potential deal to end the conflict in Iran, noting that "there's been some slight progress" in ongoing conversations. Iran's foreign minister met Pakistan's interior minister to discuss proposals, with Iranian press reporting that "gaps had been narrowed." However, Rubio clarified that US demands for Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions remain a red line. "The fundamentals remain the same," he said. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we have to address the issue of highly enriched uranium."
He also accused Iran of attempting to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, which it seized early in the war. "Iran is trying to create a tolling system," Rubio said. "They're trying to convince Oman to join them in a tolling system in an international waterway."
NATO allies, along with Japan, Australia, and South Korea, have committed to an operation to reopen the Strait once hostilities end. The tensions underscore the broader strain within the alliance as European members navigate US demands while maintaining their own strategic priorities, including support for Ukraine.
