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Nato announces plans to invest in antidrone, surveillance capabilities
Meanwhile over in Ankara, Nato keeps announcing new investments with hype videos set to dynamic stock music, including $40bn on antidrone capabilities.
The alliance will also purchase up to 10 Saab GlobalEye surveillance plans to replace its ageing fleet of AWACS early warning aircraft, Rutte said, choosing the Swedish company over US planemaker Boeing, Reuters reported.
Nato will also buy up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high altitude surveillance drones, with Norway, Finland, Germany and Denmark signing a letter of intent for the purchase.
The allies will also work together to acquire, store, transport, and manage stockpiles of critical defence materials, Rutte said.
Key events
The Nato event in Ankara will pick up this afternoon when we are expecting to see – and hear from – more leaders as they arrive for their official dinner tonight, with the summit proper starting tomorrow.
Here are some of the arrivals this morning:
Canada’s Mark Carney arrived really early this morning, for example, and already met with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
But for now, it’s mostly industry speeches and announcements on new arm deals to strengthen the alliance.
But we are expecting to hear from Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte in the next half hour or so, and I will bring you the key lines from his speech.
'I slept really well last night. And you?,' Belgian PM's cat mocks Trump after World Cup win, ahead of Nato summit
Jennifer Rankin
in Brussels
And Maximus has spoken.
The official Instagram account of the Belgian prime minister’s cat has offered a typically oblique response to the national team’s triumph over the US, following Donald Trump’s controversial intervention.
Maximus, the beloved cat of Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, was shown on Instagram lying on a rug holding a soft toy in the image of the US president.
“I slept really well last night. And you?’
reads the speech bubble in Dutch.
Maximus’ Instagram account is managed by De Wever’s team and often strays into political territory, with sardonic, albeit indirect comments on fellow politicians or events.
De Wever’s spokesperson on Monday declined to comment on Trump’s controversial and successful lobbying to overturn a red card given to US striker Falorin Balogun.
Instead local media were referred to another Maximus post, which offered a picture of the cat crouching by a red card: “Red card: I am going to play anyway!” read the speech bubble.
De Wever and Trump will both attend the Nato summit starting in Ankara later on Tuesday, although the Belgian leader will be on less comfortable ground. Belgium has pledged to meet Nato’s 5% of GDP defence spending target, but was forecast to meet the 2% spending target only in 2025 after years of delay.
The Nato summit in Ankara comes amid somewhat tense relations between Europe and the US president, Donald Trump.
Since the start of this year, when he threatened to take control of Greenland from Nato member Denmark, Trump has continued to strain relations with US allies. He failed to consult European leaders before the US and Israel launched their economically disastrous attack on Iran, and then complained when they did not allow US jets to bomb Iran from their territory.
And, most recently, he has been involved in a personal spat with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.
In the last few days, even the most fundamental issue of football became politically sensitive after a somewhat bizarre decision to overturn a red card for the USMNT’s Balogun ahead of their game versus Belgium last night, following a reported intervention by Trump.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio joked yesterday that he could even bring it up with the Belgian delegation when they meet at the Nato summit in Ankara.
Well, I doubt he will be doing that now.
Let’s say that the Belgian national team thoroughly enjoyed their 4-1 win last night, with a specific barb against the president’s actions and mocking celebrations for the last goal.
But, but, but that’s not the end of it, politically, as the most important resident of Belgium also weighed in on the result. And no, it’s not the king.
For more, let’s quickly go to Jennifer Rankin, our Brussels correspondent.
At least 18 people injured in Damascus explosions near Macron's hotel
We are getting first reports from Damascus, saying at least 18 people, including four police officers, were injured in the explosions reported earlier.
One of the bombs was placed in a bin and the other in a vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron spent the night, a Syrian security source told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The explosions are the second since Thursday, when 10 people were killed in a bombing in a Damascus cafe.
The Élysée Palace confirmed earlier that Macron was safe and unaffected by the incident (10:09), and carried on with his programme.
Nato announces plans to invest in antidrone, surveillance capabilities
Meanwhile over in Ankara, Nato keeps announcing new investments with hype videos set to dynamic stock music, including $40bn on antidrone capabilities.
The alliance will also purchase up to 10 Saab GlobalEye surveillance plans to replace its ageing fleet of AWACS early warning aircraft, Rutte said, choosing the Swedish company over US planemaker Boeing, Reuters reported.
Nato will also buy up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high altitude surveillance drones, with Norway, Finland, Germany and Denmark signing a letter of intent for the purchase.
The allies will also work together to acquire, store, transport, and manage stockpiles of critical defence materials, Rutte said.
Reports of explosions in Damascus, Syria, during France's Macron visit
I am also keeping an eye on reports of explosions in Damascus, Syria, shortly after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The explosions reportedly happened near the Four Seasons Hotel, where it was reported that Macron spent the night.
But the Élysée Palace said Macron is safe and did not hear the explosions, as he was already out on his way for the meeting with al-Sharaa.
I will bring you more on this when we know more.
Europe faces up to prospect US may be unable to arm Nato allies
Andrew Roth
in Washington
There are growing concerns in Europe that the US defence industrial base is no longer providing the weapons pledged to Nato allies with US stockpiles depleted owing to the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, leaving allies to consider new avenues to arm and defend themselves.
As Nato leaders including the US president, Donald Trump, convene in Ankara, Turkey, the US plans to address European defence spending and concerns over the Trump administration’s future commitment to the military alliance.
The US this year has delayed or cancelled deliveries of a series of key arms shipments to countries in Europe, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, Himars mobile rocket artillery and desperately needed Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles, of which the US used an estimated 50% through April of this year during its war with Iran.
They are crucial for countering the threat of missile strikes in Ukraine and would also be needed for the defence of Europe in case of an armed conflict with Russia.
The shortages have also angered European capitals, which have quietly seethed while seeking to avoid direct conflicts with the Trump administration in order to prevent a broader collapse in transatlantic relations.
Morning opening: Nato summit gets under way with focus on spending, capabilities
Jakub Krupa
Nato leaders, including the moody US president Donald Trump, are set to meet in Ankara, Turkey today and tomorrow for the latest round of talks on transatlantic defence.
As our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh says, there has been “a remarkable effort behind the scenes at Trump-proofing whatever happens in Ankara” given his tendency to go into angry outbursts directed at the allies.
In one particularly amusing paragraph, Dan says that:
“Trump is expected to bring 1,400 people with him to Turkey, including those responsible for bringing back his toilet waste – a standard protocol to prevent other countries analysing the material for intelligence about his health. That the US is coming in large numbers is seen as a relief, given that Trump has at times flirted with the idea of leaving Nato, including at a summit in 2018.”
The day begins with the Nato Defence Industry Forum, a trade summit covering the latest round of announcements from the allies in new capabilities, including a strategic airlift of transport planes and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance machines.
But the real drama will begin this afternoon, as US president Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the summit.
We should hear from Zelenskyy later today, and see Trump when he arrives in Turkey and goes to the Turkish presidential palace for early talks before the formal dinner this evening.
BUT, BUT, BUT… we are also expecting a major development in France, where Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right figurehead and a leading contender for its presidency, will learn on Tuesday whether she can run in next year’s election when a Paris appeals court rules on her attempt to overturn a ban on holding elected office.
Last year, Le Pen was handed a five-year ban from public office and a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, for embezzling European parliament funds. Today we will learn about the outcome of her appeal.
As Jon Henley reports from Paris,
“The ruling will determine whether the far-right National Rally (RN) candidate to succeed the outgoing president, Emmanuel Macron, will be the veteran Le Pen, 57, or her youthful protege, Jordan Bardella, 30.”
The court is expected to start delivering the verdict early afternoon – around 1.30pm local time, so 12.30 London time – and it is likely to take some time before we get all the details. We will bring you all the latest here.
Lots for us to cover today. Stay with us throughout the day.
It’s Tuesday, 7 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
