Ankara, July 7, 2026 (Lusa) – The Portuguese Government believes that the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday in Turkey, will represent an opportunity to “reaffirm the Alliance’s unity” and the “centrality of the Atlantic”, emphasising that increased defence spending has not compromised public finances.
According to the office of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, the NATO summit, in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, will represent “a very important moment” for the country on several levels.
Firstly, the summit will mark a moment of “reaffirming the Alliance’s unity and the centrality of the Atlantic to Europe’s security – as Portugal has always emphasised”.
This summit is taking place at a time of tension between Europe and the United States, with the US administration scaling back its commitment to the Atlantic Alliance, including the withdrawal of troops, arguing that European allies should play a greater role in the defence of the continent.
The Portuguese Government emphasises that it “has fulfilled the commitment it undertook”, having invested 2.01% of GDP in defence – an increase of €1.6 billion in one year – “without compromising the stability of public finances or social policies”.
The government also emphasises that it has “a credible track record for continuing to invest responsibly with the aim of better equipping the armed forces in line with the targets set by NATO” – at the last summit in The Hague, the allies raised the investment target to 5% by 2035.
Portugal sees itself as “a net contributor to transatlantic security, through its participation in various Alliance missions, such as in Romania – which the prime minister visited in 2025 – and in Baltic air policing”, the government points out.
“The Ankara Summit is expected to confirm the strength of the transatlantic bond, based on the reaffirmation of the US commitment to the Alliance and the assumption of greater responsibilities by European countries,” the same source added.
The government emphasises that Europe has been working on this reinforcement “for years now”, which “will allow for a better balance within the transatlantic relationship”.
Furthermore, from the Portuguese government’s perspective, this summit “should provide an opportunity to reaffirm support for Ukraine, which is essential to Europe’s security, and to underline the need to develop defence industries, with all the economic opportunities that this entails”.
With regard to the development of industries in the sector, the Government emphasises the importance of paying “specific attention to SMEs, which are central to the Portuguese productive fabric”.
The NATO summit will take place in the capital of Turkey, a country where Portugal currently has two replenishment vessels under construction: the NRP Luís de Camões and the D. Dinis, due for delivery in 2028.
At a time when the US is calling for a strengthening of NATO’s European pillar and strongly criticising some allies – notably countries such as Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, which have refused to make their military bases available for offensive operations against Iran – Portugal has maintained a cooperative stance without antagonising the US administration.
The country has even been praised by Donald Trump’s administration, particularly regarding the use of Lajes Air Base in the Azores, and the transatlantic alliance could even be strengthened should Portugal choose the US F-35s to replace the F-16s – a decision not expected to be taken at this summit.
European companies, such as Saab, are also vying for the contract, using the argument of strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy as their trump card.
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