Why the Indo-Pacific might be on the back burner at the Nato summit

Nato’s 32 member states will convene in the Turkish capital this week for an annual summit expected to be dominated by efforts to secure a fragile peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, with Indo-Pacific issues taking a back seat.

Analysts said the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, as well as Washington’s push for European allies to raise defence spending, could diminish discussion about the security alliance’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, despite the Nato chief’s warnings about China’s ties with Russia.

The July 7-8 gathering in Ankara will be the first hosted by Turkey since the 2004 summit in Istanbul.

The coming summit is expected to test the transatlantic alliance’s unity amid the US war on Iran, now under ceasefire after the signing of a memorandum of understanding last month.

US President Donald Trump has often criticised Nato as a “paper tiger” in recent months, most notably in March after member states refused to support Washington’s war efforts in the Middle East or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Weeks later, in May, the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of around 5,000 US troops from Germany.

In Ankara, Nato leaders will be under pressure to show progress on the spending target agreed to last year at The Hague. Under the agreement, pushed by Trump to encourage burden-sharing, members pledged to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2035.