Türkiye, UK forge new defence pact at NATO summit in Ankara

Türkiye and the United Kingdom have signed a new security and defence partnership during the NATO summit in Ankara, strengthening cooperation between two major alliance members amid growing security challenges across Europe and beyond.

The agreement was announced on Wednesday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the summit’s final day.

The closed-door talks came as Starmer prepares to leave office after announcing his resignation last month, while NATO leaders gathered in Ankara to discuss defence spending, military modernisation, Europe’s security capacity and continued support for Ukraine.

New framework expands defence cooperation

The partnership aims to deepen coordination between London and Ankara through new mechanisms covering defence policy, deterrence and defence, military cooperation, defence industry and technology, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, counter-terrorism, resilience, civil preparedness and space.

“The Partnership reflects their shared determination as two major European NATO Allies to further strengthen and institutionalise their co-operation in response to the evolving Euro-Atlantic security environment,” the UK government said.