The NATO Summit of national leaders of its 32 member states convenes for two days of meetings at the Presidential Complex in the Turkish capital of Ankara on July 7. The center of attention during the two days will be President Donald Trump who has already roiled the alliance with changes in U.S. force posture in Europe, demands for loyalty from NATO members, and complaints that the Europeans were not helpful enough during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The theme of much of the media coverage in the run-up to the summit is of European leaders seeking to placate Trump to keep him from bolting the alliance, all in the name of facing down the alleged Russian threat.
Perhaps the most realistic comment came from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov when he told journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview that Moscow is expecting provocations from the Kiev regime during the NATO meeting, “We must wait for provocations and be vigilant at all times,” he said, reported TASS.
