Consultations among NATO leaders during the alliance summit, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday - July 7 and 8 - in Ankara, Turkey, were conducted with a "huge sense of unity." This was stated by the Secretary General of the defense bloc, Mark Rutte, at a press conference on the final day of the event. "This summit showed that the alliance is stronger than ever: it is a united alliance ready to defend every inch of our territory," Rutte said, calling the event "extremely successful." As confirmation of his words, he cited a point in the declaration agreed upon by all summit participants, which reaffirms the commitment to the principle of collective defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. "An attack on one is an attack on all," emphasized the Dutch politician. ## ## Rutte Commented on Trump's Criticism During the Summit In light of Rutte's comments about the "unity" of NATO member countries during the summit, the dpa agency cites episodes of criticism voiced by U.S. President Donald Trump at the forum against the alliance's allies. In particular, the American leader opposed the unfair distribution of expenses among NATO members. According to a report published at the end of March, the U.S. accounted for about 60% of the alliance's defense spending in 2025. Additionally, during the summit, Trump announced plans to end trade relations with Spain, as it did not assist the U.S. in the war with Iran, and named Germany as one of the countries that "let down" the U.S. In response to criticism regarding the contributions of countries to the NATO budget, Rutte stated that the heads of the alliance member states "agreed on modernizing the organization." "This implies a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO, where European allies and Canada interact with the U.S., take on greater responsibility for the alliance's defense, make significant investments in the defense sector, and enter into major contracts involving industries on both sides of the Atlantic," noted the NATO Secretary General. Commenting on Trump's criticism regarding the involvement of other NATO countries in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, Rutte stated that during closed meetings, the U.S. President behaved differently. According to him, Trump's leadership "transforms the alliance and makes it stronger." "I can say that I saw 32 heads of state and government standing in the hall as a united front. An incredibly strong sense of unity was felt. I do not recall such unity recently," he added.