Reuters: Plans for a NATO summit in Albania in 2027 remain uncertain

Holding the NATO summit in Albania in 2027 has entered a phase of uncertainty due to hesitations within the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and dissatisfaction among some member states over Tirana’s level of defense spending.

The news was reported by Reuters, citing a NATO diplomat, a European official, and three people familiar with the discussions.

According to the report, the draft declaration for the NATO summit expected to take place next week in Ankara does not include the subsequent summit in Albania. This marks a departure from previous alliance statements, in which Albania had been designated as the host country for the 2027 meeting.

The cited sources say the Trump administration has raised concerns about Albania’s low investment in defense. One of them said that organizing a summit in a country that has not yet met NATO’s military spending targets could create political tension and provoke an unfavorable reaction from the American president.

On the other hand, Reuters notes that NATO is also considering the possibility of abandoning the practice of holding summits every year. This idea had been mentioned before and is intended to avoid possible political clashes during Trump’s term.

The Albanian government, meanwhile, has downplayed the significance of Albania’s name being absent from the draft declaration.

“Drafts are drafts, not decisions,” a government spokesperson told Reuters, stressing that the document is still being negotiated and may still change.

In a statement given to the agency, the Albanian government said it is finalizing fiscal measures to increase defense spending, in line with the commitments made at the Hague Summit. According to the government, during 2026, defense and security spending will reach 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product, of which 2.2% will go to core defense and 0.4% to sectors related to defense and security.

Most recently, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said that Albania, together with the Czech Republic and Slovenia, has pledged to cross the 2% of GDP threshold for defense during this year.

However, a European diplomat cited by Reuters said the possibility of Albania hosting the NATO summit remains open.

“They are stepping up the pace of meeting their commitments. We will see where the process ends up, but I still believe the next summit will be held in Albania,” he said.