Gate News message, April 27 — NATO is considering ending its recent tradition of holding annual summits, according to six sources familiar with the matter. Since 2021, NATO leaders have convened each summer, with the next scheduled meeting set for July 7-8, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey. However, according to a senior European official and five NATO diplomats, some member states are actively pushing to slow the pace of these summits.
One diplomat revealed that the planned 2027 summit in Albania would likely be postponed to autumn of that year. Additionally, NATO is considering completely canceling the 2028 summit—the year of the U.S. presidential election and the final full calendar year of Trump’s term.
The tradition of annual summer meetings began in 2021 and has become a regular fixture for NATO leadership coordination.