BIRMINGHAM, England

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska said the alliance’s Ankara summit in July will focus on implementing past decisions and delivering tangible results.

Speaking on Monday at the Oslo Security Conference in Norway, Shekerinska said all allies agreed at last year’s Hague summit to allocate 5% of gross domestic product to defense spending by 2035.

“The Ankara summit will be focused on implementation and delivering concrete results,” she said.

Emphasizing the need to follow through on the 5% commitment, Shekerinska said the issue would remain a priority in Ankara, including through an industry day aimed at improving cooperation with defense companies.

“We will organize an industry day focusing very much on how we can support industry and how we can use additional funds better, but hopefully without creating additional costs,” she said.

Shekerinska said the message to allies was clear: increase joint procurement, deepen cooperation and push for more innovative solutions to meet capability targets.

“Let’s do more joint procurements. Let’s try to cooperate more, and let’s insist on more innovative solutions when looking for the right capability targets,” she said, adding that these issues would be high on the summit’s agenda.

She also said increasing support for Ukraine would be a key topic at the Ankara summit.

“The situation is and was dire,” Shekerinska said, describing conditions on the ground in Ukraine.

She noted that while attention is currently focused on peace efforts, continued military support remains essential.

“We know that the focus now is on the peace process, but we also know that we have to continue with this support because, as you can see even today, the fighting has not stopped,” she said. “The attacks, especially on civilian and energy infrastructure, have only increased.”

“These three things will be our focus as we head toward Ankara,” she added.

Shekerinska said progress toward the 5% target is uneven, with some countries moving faster under more ambitious timelines while others lag behind. She stressed that both political leaders and industry representatives recognize that returning to prewar defense spending levels is no longer an option.

She also underlined the importance of strong trans-Atlantic relations, saying differences among allies must be addressed through dialogue.

“Democracies debate internally and with allies,” she said, adding that the alliance’s “DNA is to discuss, find solutions and align on shared security interests,” a process she argued has already reshaped NATO’s approach to Arctic security.