Zelensky invited to NATO summit in Ankara
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, alliance chief Mark Rutte confirmed on May 22.
"I invited him already," Rutte said at a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden.
"He will be there, like in The Hague," he said, referring to the allied summit last year where the Ukrainian leader met U.S. President Donald Trump. The Presidential Office is yet to comment on Zelensky's participation.
The upcoming summit, scheduled for July 7 and 8, is expected to test NATO's unity amid major rifts between the U.S. and other allies.
The Trump administration has clashed with European allies and Canada over strategy on Ukraine and Russia, Washington's push to acquire Greenland, and disagreements over the war in Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the summit would be "one of the more important leaders' summits in the history of NATO."
The allied leaders should brace to face Trump's "disappointment" after refusing to join the war against Tehran, he said.
Most NATO summits since 2022 centered around Western support for Ukraine amid Russia's all-out invasion and Kyiv's bid to join the alliance.
The focus has shifted since Trump took office in 2025, as the U.S. drastically reduced its support for Ukraine while openly rejecting the country's accession efforts.
