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Alliance considers reducing meeting frequency to avoid political tensions and reduce pressure for immediate results
US President Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to criticize the transatlantic military alliance NATO. There is a simple reason for this: unlike American institutions, where he is used to giving orders at will, in NATO he cannot act in the same way and use the alliance for his own purposes. For this reason, he regularly threatens to withdraw the US from NATO, even though such an action would face major obstacles.
According to information from internal sources, NATO is now considering the possibility of no longer holding summits every year. The aim is to avoid meetings that are perceived as uncomfortable and awkward with Trump, especially in the expected last year of his mandate. This is reported by Reuters, referring to 6 people familiar with the developments. According to them, some member states are seeking a longer cycle between summits.
Next year's summit is scheduled to be held in Albania, but everything remains open if NATO decides to reduce annual meetings. And if the 2027 and 2028 summits are canceled, as some countries have demanded, this would mean that NATO would avoid Trump's presence at such meetings, which have often generated debate and strong criticism from the Trump administration towards Allied countries.
The decision to hold the NATO Summit in Tirana in 2027 was made in June 2025, and Prime Minister Edi Rama has even set up an inter-institutional group that will deal with the organization on the Albanian side and taking measures to host delegations from Alliance member countries.
The Task Force is chaired by the Prime Minister and, in his absence, by the National Coordinator for the organization of the summit, appointed by order of the Prime Minister. The Task Force is composed of members from several ministries, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Director of SHISH, etc.
Holding the NATO Summit in Tirana has been considered a "dream" for Prime Minister Edi Rama, who would have the fortune to host the most powerful leaders of the world, members of the Alliance, the first event of this magnitude in Albania.
But if there is a reduction in Summits, then everything is put into question. The final decision has not yet been made and must be made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
In addition to the Trump factor, sources cite another reason: high pressure. Diplomats and analysts have long argued that annual summits increase the pressure to produce sensational results and often take the focus away from long-term planning. “Better fewer summits than weak ones,” one diplomat was quoted as saying.
A NATO official told Reuters that the alliance will continue to hold regular meetings of heads of state and government. Between summits, allies will continue consultations and joint planning. In the alliance's 77-year history, high-level meetings have been held with varying frequency. However, since 2021, leaders have gathered every summer.
This year, the summit is scheduled to be held on July 7 and 8 in Ankara. Trump has repeatedly attacked the 31-member alliance. Most recently, he accused some allies of not supporting the United States enough in the conflict with Iran. After allies failed to provide the help he requested, Trump openly questioned whether the United States should continue to adhere to the obligation of collective defense and threatened to withdraw from NATO.
At the 2025 summit in The Hague, he called for an increase in defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Member states agreed to a compromise: 3.5 percent for basic defense and 1.5 percent for security-related investments. The fact that the meeting ended without major clashes was considered a success by the participants. / Pamphlet /
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