NATO is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, six sources have said, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump in his final year in office. Trump's administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the U.S.-led defense alliance's 31 other members, most recently ​berating some for not providing more assistance to U.S. military operations against Iran.

The frequency of NATO summits has varied over ‌the alliance's 77-year ‌history but its leaders have met every summer since 2021 and will gather this year in ​the Turkish capital Ankara on July 7 and 8. But some members are pushing to slow the tempo, according to a senior European official and five diplomats, all from NATO member countries.

One diplomat said the 2027 ⁠summit, to be held in Albania, would likely take place that autumn and NATO was considering not holding one at all in 2028 — the ⁠year of the U.S. presidential election and Trump’s final full calendar year in office. Another said some countries were pushing to hold summits every two years, adding that no decision had been taken and Secretary General Mark Rutte would ​have the final say.

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