The Allies’ Declaration from the Ankara Summit (7–8 July) demonstrated NATO’s strategic clarity in addressing today’s global security challenges. By reaffirming its “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, the Alliance responded to concerns about a potential transatlantic divide, as well as to threats posed by Russia and Iran, through its “360-degree approach,” which emphasizes deterrence and defence from all directions (The Ankara Summit Declaration).
Greater European and Canadian responsibility for a modernized and stronger Alliance, unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, renewed determination that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and the announcement that the next NATO Summit will be held in Tirana all constitute strategic messages from Ankara directed toward Moscow, Tehran, and Belgrade.
Unity: A Stronger Europe within a Stronger NATO
When threats become evident, security takes precedence. The uncertainties triggered by President Trump’s “ultimatum” calling for greater European responsibility in defence, concerns over the future of U.S. engagement in Europe, the financial burden of the war in Ukraine, and disagreements over the Middle East (CSIS, 14 February 2025) gradually gave way to a common strategic priority, as the Alliance reaffirmed transatlantic cohesion in the face of threats posed by the “revisionist axis.”
Europe’s “strategic awakening,” marked by increased defence spending and continued support for Ukraine (as emphasized by Ursula von der Leyen at the Munich Security Conference, 14 February 2026), has reshaped the future of a more modernized Alliance: a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO (The Ankara Summit Declaration).
Commitments to greater European strategic autonomy—particularly stimulated by President Trump’s remarks about acquiring Greenland from Denmark—brought renewed attention to Article 42.7 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which obliges EU Member States to provide aid and assistance by all means available if another Member State becomes the victim of armed aggression. However, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, clarified that this provision should be understood as a “complementary clause” to NATO’s Article 5 (Kaja Kallas, 24 April 2026).
Against this backdrop of uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, the Ankara Summit demonstrated that greater European strategic autonomy is not an alternative to NATO. Rather, the call for increased European responsibility was a call for a stronger, more capable Alliance able to respond to threats across the full 360-degree spectrum.
The Summit confirmed that the European Allies and Canada, in close cooperation with the United States, are assuming greater responsibility for collective defence. Joint investments in defence production, innovation, advanced technologies, and intelligence are transforming political unity into operational capability for both deterrence and rapid response.
This development is of fundamental importance for the Western Balkans as well, since any uncertainty regarding the strength of the transatlantic bond could be perceived as an opportunity for destabilizing actions by Serbia and Russia throughout the region.
The 360-Degree Approach: Deterrence and Defence
The Alliance’s strategic focus extends well beyond its eastern flank. NATO’s security strategy is comprehensive, addressing Russia in the east, terrorism and instability in the south, Iran and the security of maritime corridors, as well as hybrid threats, cyberattacks, and destabilization in sensitive regions such as the Western Balkans (NATO Strategic Concept, 3 March 2023).
According to Genini, NATO has demonstrated remarkable resilience through successive rounds of adaptation, with its strategy consistently evolving in response to changes in the security environment. He identifies three major phases of adaptation: the first following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s; the second after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001; and the third following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In his view, NATO’s future success will depend largely on its ability to adapt to hybrid threats (Genini, 2025).
This is precisely what the 360-degree approach represents: sustained support for Ukraine, strategic clarity toward Iran, the gradual optimization of the KFOR mission, and the decision to hold the next NATO Summit in Tirana. At the Ankara Summit, the Allies pledged €70 billion in military equipment, assistance, and training for Ukraine, while expressing their intention to maintain this level of support through 2027 (The Ankara Summit Declaration). This sends a clear message to Russia that prolonging the war will not exhaust Western resolve.
At the same time, NATO’s position on Iran broadens the Alliance’s strategic cohesion beyond Eastern Europe by addressing additional sources of instability and security threats.
In Kosovo, this approach is reflected in the announcement by NATO’s Allied Forces in Europe regarding the optimization of the KFOR mission, based on the improved security environment and the growing capabilities of Kosovo’s security institutions (NATO/SHAPE, 12 June 2026). Despite Serbia’s efforts to portray this adjustment as a threat to the security of the Serbian community, allegedly endangered by what it describes as the “terror of Pristina,” NATO remains fully aware of President Aleksandar Vučić’s continued refusal to meet repeated calls for accountability over the Banjska attack (Mark Rutte, 11 February 2026). At the same time, Vučić has publicly portrayed the attack’s principal organizer, Milan Radoičić, as a victim of politically motivated persecution related to Kosovo (Vučić, 29 June 2026).
Tirana as a Strategic Message
The decision to hold the next NATO Summit in Tirana, as announced by the Secretary General (Rutte, 8 July 2026), carries exceptional political and strategic significance for the Western Balkans. This is not merely because Belgrade and Moscow continue to challenge the region’s Euro-Atlantic orientation, but because NATO’s growing strategic depth is expected to reduce the risks posed by hybrid operations aimed at expanding Russian influence.
Following Kosovo’s Defence Cooperation Agreement with two NATO Allies—Albania and Croatia—which President Aleksandar Vučić continues to portray as a “threat” to Serbia (Danas, 14 March 2026), while NATO has described it as a “contribution to regional stability” (Radio Free Europe, 14 February 2026), Kosovo has continued its transition of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in accordance with NATO standards, a process scheduled for completion in 2028.
The security challenges arising from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, together with threats originating from Serbia, including the Banjska attack in 2023, have accelerated the development of the KSF’s capabilities (Kosovo Security Strategy, 2022–2027). They have also strengthened U.S. support for advanced air defence systems (The Geopost, 15 January 2025) and expanded Türkiye’s assistance through military financial cooperation (Daily Sabah, 6 May 2026). These developments have enabled the KSF to become a credible partner for the International Stabilization Force in Gaza (Reuters, 30 March 2026) and to further enhance its interoperability with NATO, as reflected in the KSF–EUCOM (meeting of 12 June 2026).
Taken together, these developments acquire an additional political dimension in the context of the Tirana Summit. The Summit serves not only as a strategic affirmation of the Western Balkans’ importance to NATO (NATO, 17 April 2026), but also as a clear response to the threats, ambitions, and expansionist aspirations associated with the concept of the “Serbian World.”