The upcoming NATO summit in Ankara was widely covered by the Russian media, amid near consensus that the main focus of the discussions will be on the search for a balance of power between the United States and Europe, the volume of military aid to Ukraine, in addition to Türkiye’s desire to strengthen its geopolitical position.
The disputes between NATO members captured the attention of Russian newspapers and observers, who considered that the summit was taking place amid internal contradictions in the alliance between the United States and Europe, especially regarding the burden of support costs for Ukraine, at a time when the prospects for Kiev’s full accession to NATO remain unclear.
In an atmosphere of tension and contradictions
The OTR website described the summit as a summit of contradictions, and the members of the military alliance will have to once again show their unity amid many internal crises, although things are going poorly so far, according to the website.
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Political analyst Alexei Mukhin explained to the website that, even before the summit was held, NATO members were unable to reach a consensus on continued support for Ukraine, in addition to the fact that it was being held amid US President Donald Trump’s accusations that the European Union was failing to ensure its security independently.
According to Mukhin, the alliance will be forced, for the first time in its history, to address several major challenges at the same time, most notably the Ukrainian conflict, NATO’s policy on its eastern borders, issues of expanding military support for Kiev, developing defense industries, and strengthening defense sites near the Russian border, as well as the situation in the Middle East, where Turkey, the host country of the event, pays special attention to raising this issue.
Strengthening the Turkish role
The newspaper “Gazeta Ru” quoted the director of research at the Russian Council for International Affairs, Andrei Kortunov, as saying that the United States will seek to increase pressure on Europe to increase its contribution to NATO’s overall budget.
He continues that the United States’ complaints about pumping money into the alliance will dominate the atmosphere of the summit, in addition to raising the issue of NATO’s European allies’ refusal to support the military operation in Iran.
According to what he says, this was particularly clear in the position of Spain, which emerged as the most vocal opponent, refused to allow the use of American bases on its territory, and forced American forces to refuel through private aircraft for this.
Moreover, Kortunov emphasizes that since the summit is being held in Ankara, it is natural that the Turkish issue will be discussed intensively, given that Ankara has its own positions on a wide range of issues related to North Atlantic cooperation.
According to his opinion, Türkiye will exploit the event to strengthen its vision of security issues on its southern front and rearrange relations with Middle Eastern countries, especially in light of the public tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
RIA Novosti:
The European countries that declared their readiness to fight Russia fear the results of the upcoming summit in Turkey because of the American position, which no longer intends to share responsibility with other NATO members for what is happening in Ukraine and in Western relations with Russia in general.
Peace or war?
The RIA Novosti website considered, in an opinion article, that the European countries that declared their readiness to fight Russia fear the results of the upcoming summit in Turkey because of the American position, which no longer intends to share responsibility with other NATO members for what is happening in Ukraine and in Western relations with Russia in general.
According to the site, Europeans increasingly realize that they have become hostages of their politicians’ ideas regarding the military confrontation with Russia, which prompts many European leaders to escalate the conflict in Ukraine before they are overthrown and convicted, as he described it.
RIA Novosti pointed out that almost all European countries will witness election campaigns during the next two years, and it is clear that the “global liberals” will likely lose power and influence.
This matter – as the site points out – will not only lead to a change in the European Union’s approach, but will also lead to investigations into those who embezzled money under the guise of spending on weapons.
backstage
In turn, the newspaper “Perlamantskaya Gazeta” published an interview with a member of Russia’s Foreign and Defense Policy Council, Andrei Klimov, in which he said that the upcoming NATO summit will constitute an attempt to consolidate the West’s military dominance in the face of the worsening internal crises in European countries and the United States.
The speaker also did not rule out that the meeting of Western leaders in Ankara would become one of the final stages of preparation for war with Russia, which is currently being widely discussed locally and internationally.
According to him, some NATO member states actually want military expenditures not to go into the pockets of what they describe as Ukrainian bribe-takers, but rather to contribute in one way or another to improving the security of their countries.
On the other hand, the spokesman points out that others in the alliance are seeking to amplify Ukraine’s capabilities at NATO’s expense to wage war against Russia, with the aim of weakening the latter as a potential opponent for them, suggesting that most of the discussions at the summit will take place “behind the scenes.”
Flounder
In the newspaper “Izvestia”, Kirill Vinin wrote that NATO is not at its best before the Ankara summit, due to internal disagreements, especially between the United States and its European allies.
In his opinion, the alliance will most likely not be able to agree on a major new loan for Ukraine, and Kiev’s accession to the alliance is unlikely without European Union membership.
He also points out that the Trump administration made clear to its allies that the United States would not enter into a war on behalf of the Baltic states because of the risk of escalation with Russia, because Washington believes that the Europeans’ fears of Moscow are unfounded.
The writer goes on to say that the withdrawal of American forces from Europe is no longer a direct threat, but rather has become an established trend.
At the same time, Fenin believes that the time has come for Turkey to choose between the Global South and the West, based on the outcomes of the war with Iran, and the readiness of the Middle East region for a new alignment of powers based on that.
