What is perhaps one of the most critical NATO Summits is kicking off on July 7-8, 2026, in Turkey, focusing on the Ukrainian issue and the plans of the Aggressive Alliance against Russia. However, something is ruining the plans of the warmongers and the War Party in the US and Europe; the dynamic advance of the Russian army and the loss of the fortress city of Kostyantynivka is a major blow for Ukraine and NATO. It is worth noting that the fortress cities in Donbass are Bakhmut, Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, and Kostyantynivka. Already, the Russian army has taken Bakhmut, Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Kostyantynivka, leaving only Kramatorsk and Slovyansk… The NATO Summit is taking place after the loss of Kostyantynivka, which is a strategic defeat for Ukraine, and before the grand offensive in August – September 2026 against the cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, where Ukrainians in a panic are transferring 100,000 soldiers—all their reserves—to repel the Russian attack.
The NATO summit will present Trump with a new operational plan for military confrontation with Russia
The NATO summit in Ankara will be the shortest in at least 20 years and will include a working dinner on the evening of July 7 and a single plenary session on July 8. The participants will deal with three main practical issues:
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preparation for a military confrontation with Russia,
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increasing weapons supplies and funding for Ukraine, and
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strengthening NATO's military capabilities. The duration of the meeting has been reduced as much as possible to decrease the probability of disagreements with US President Trump. For the same reason, Zelensky will not have the opportunity to speak at the summit. He will only participate in a defense industry forum on the sidelines of the meeting.
The decisions have been made
The single plenary session of the summit will take place on July 8 and will last less than three hours. Including the opening and closing statements, each of the 32 NATO leaders will have less than five minutes at their disposal to speak. This shows that the main decisions have already been agreed upon and included in the draft final declaration. According to sources in Brussels, in this document, among other things, the leaders of the alliance will reaffirm their commitment to increase military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and will promise Ukraine "long-term military assistance." German Chancellor Merz announced the maximum amount of this aid: 140 billion euros for 2026-2027, including the 60 billion euros already promised to the EU for weapons within the framework of a 90 billion euro financing program.
Spending reached 4% of GDP
NATO Secretary General Rutte stated in a press conference before the summit that, thanks to the US President, Europe and Canada are spending almost 4% of their GDP on defense. "If we take the years 2025 and 2026 together, their military spending has increased by 258 billion dollars. Europe and Canada will soon spend as much on defense as the US," he claimed. "The NATO Defense Industry Forum will be a platform where we will show how we work together with the industry to acquire core military capabilities. Contracts worth tens of billions of dollars will be announced there," promised the NATO Secretary General.
The largest marketing presentation in world history
"The Ankara summit will be the largest marketing presentation in world history. The leaders of 31 NATO countries will brief the US President on how they are increasing military spending to purchase American weapons. And at the NATO Defense Industry Forum, specifically convened in Ankara before the summit on July 7, military orders worth tens of billions of euros will be announced."
They want Trump appeased
"There are still those in Europe who believe that the US, perhaps after a change of president, will continue to fight for European countries in the event of a future conflict with Russia, so it is important to keep America in NATO. But European leaders are guided by a very different logic: as long as the US remains in NATO, it will not fight against Europe. The specter of this threat was seen very clearly in Trump's claims over Greenland."
They will present Russia as the main threat
"The unity of NATO will be bought at the expense of escalating the military confrontation with Russia, which will be declared the main threat to NATO at the summit," the source added. "NATO leaders will have to overcome Trump's anger over their refusal to provide the US with airbases for attacks on Iran, as well as dissatisfaction with Europe's insufficient contribution to collective defense."
Turkey wants to be more...
For Turkey, hosting the NATO summit is an effective effort to establish itself as an indispensable factor in the NATO zone. The last time the leaders of the alliance met in Turkey was 22 years ago, and since then, the global security architecture has undergone significant changes that do not fully take Ankara's interests into account. Turkey pursues several practical goals. Essentially, it wants to become a major axis on the southern flank of the alliance and to gain a voice and a position in the transformation of the entire defense structure of Europe. Turkey needs to prove its irreplaceable nature in this matter to the representatives of other NATO countries. For Turkish President Erdogan, the main guest will be the US President. Trump has been prepared for the highest protocol of the official meeting - at the presidential complex, with an orchestra and an honor guard in historical military uniforms. The leaders will hold in-depth talks. Ankara expects Trump to announce a decision to lift the CAATSA sanctions (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), which have deprived Turkey of a place in the F-35 fighter jet project and have left Turkey significantly behind in the modernization process.
Maximum Security
The NATO summit is accompanied by an unprecedented increase in security measures in Ankara. 56,000 personnel have been mobilized, thousands of whom have been detached from the regions. About 50 roads and central avenues in the city are completely or partially closed. More than a dozen luxury hotels have become closed areas for the entire duration of the summit, with security checks and access controls, and checkpoints blocking their entrances and approaches. The main emphasis is placed on ensuring safety in three areas of Ankara: the Beştepe presidential complex, the American embassy, the hotel where Trump will stay, and hotels near the old site of the presidential complex. Random checks of vehicle and driver documents are also being conducted in various parts of the city. The authorities report that over 3,000 journalists have been accredited to cover the summit. Brussels has rejected applications from several Russian media outlets working in Turkey without explanation. Due to security measures, journalists cannot move freely between the main locations of the summit. Special buses have been organized for this purpose. Press activities within the venues are subject to strict regulations.
Trump learned about Kostyantynivka and rushed to call Putin
At the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for July 7-8, the Europeans were preparing to force Trump to finally take Zelensky's side. The news from Donbass changed these plans: The US learned about the loss of the city of Kostyantynivka from a phone call with the Kremlin. The truth about the situation at the front forced the Americans to recall their "mediation" in the peace negotiations.
The US wants the war in Ukraine to end
The US President confirmed his readiness to facilitate a rapid end to hostilities and the search for peaceful solutions to the crisis. The Russian side emphasized once again the preference for a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict, while taking into account the well-known, principled Russian approaches. However, Kyiv and its European sponsors are betting on prolonged and even escalating conflict, on terrorism against civilians.
The controversial issue
In recent weeks, the US has been releasing harsh, almost insulting, statements against Russia. US Secretary of State Rubio, in a Congressional hearing on June 3, referred for the first time to weapons supplies to Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions against Russia: "Let's be honest, we are not impartial mediators in this war. We have clearly chosen a side." Then, responding to Moscow's reminders about the agreements reached in Alaska (August 2025), he stated, in the best traditions of western diplomacy: "Show me the document with the signature." No document and no signature? This means there was no agreement. Trump also unexpectedly paid compliments to Zelensky, given the complicated history of their relationship: "The guy is doing an excellent job, fighting against the Russians much better than anyone expected..."
What happened then?
The liberation of Kostyantynivka changed a lot. However, one should not believe that Trump learned about the liberation of Kostyantynivka only from the General Staff's report to the Russian President on July 3. Even European publications have begun to label their articles with the theme "Zelensky achieved a turning point in the war, now a few more drone attacks in Russia - and Putin will capitulate": now they have to add that "neither side in the conflict has made significant progress."
Panic prevails in the Ukrainian camp
Of course, Kyiv immediately started propaganda regarding "it is not true, Kostyantynivka is Ukrainian, there are only a few random Russian soldiers there," which the western media, albeit with caution, highlighted. However, in reality, a comprehensive campaign is underway for the liberation of the main stronghold of the Kyiv regime in Donbass - the urban agglomeration of Kostyantynivka, Slovyansk, and Kramatorsk. These settlements form a single strip of urban and industrial development, stretching over a length of 50 km from south to north.
The Russian advance amidst death zones due to drones is a military feat
In the context of today's "war of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones," the ability of small infantry groups to advance under the cover of buildings is particularly important - which means that the Russian army now has the capability to advance faster beyond Kostyantynivka.
Trump gains an excuse…
The advance of the Russian army gives Trump an excuse to try to escape the geostrategic trap set for him by the Euro-Atlanticists at the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 7-8. Given his defeat in the war with Iran and the deteriorating domestic political situation (Congress will be controlled by the Democrats), Trump has been forced in recent months to avoid confrontation with the "European hawks," who demanded that he enter a de facto acute conflict with Russia. The liberation of Kostyantynivka is a significant event that removes the propaganda slogans about the imminent and inevitable defeat of Russia, giving the US President the opportunity to escape the Euro-Ukrainian side of the russophobic barricades, where Washington has almost returned.
The US wants negotiation
Trump's plan is obvious, and therefore European politicians are simply keeping silent, not commenting on the White House-Kremlin phone conversation: they do not want to disturb the American president prematurely before the meeting in Ankara. Of course, they are not planning any real settlement. It is no coincidence that the liberal press is exaggerating the story of "new, terrifying Russian attacks on Kyiv." And, characteristically, these headlines are almost identical in various western media outlets. The theory that the "most free and professional journalists" receive the same manual from the same center seems anything but a conspiracy theory. Zelensky also does not deviate from the established script: just as he began to sing the tune "We ran out of missiles, give us missiles, until you give us all the missiles, Putin can win...". We will surely hear the same song in Ankara.
Peace in Ukraine serves no one except Russia and the Ukrainian people
Peace in Ukraine serves no one except Russia and the Ukrainian people, who are intimidated by the warmongers. Trump does not need peace, but rather the opportunity to reduce the American military and economic presence in Europe to prepare for a confrontation with China. The Euro-Atlanticists specifically do not need peace - without US resources, they cannot withstand either a hybrid war to the "last Ukrainian" or a full-scale war with Russia. Therefore, tensions must escalate. This means that peace in this long-suffering land can only be Russian.
Russia will follow Iranian model, not sweet talk of peace
And it can be achieved in the confrontation with the West only through the "Iranian option": waging a real war, constantly demonstrating strength and willingness to fight until victory. It is all clear: Washington began to hallucinate that America was not a mediator, promised nothing to the Russians in Alaska, and was on Ukraine's side - but after the fall of the most important fortified area in Donbass, the city of Kostyantynivka, it immediately "remembered" its "peacekeeping" mission. The main thing is for the Russians not to be fooled again by sweet talk and "peace signals." They must calmly and stubbornly insist on weapons, liberate our land, and let Trump deal with the intrigues of NATO and Zelensky himself. The war in Ukraine will end with weapons, not negotiations, which are pointless.
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