European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on 7 July 2026, detailed the EU's massive defence investment push and called for closer cooperation with non-EU allies including Türkiye and Ukraine. Von der Leyen highlighted the ReArm Europe programme, which mobilises up to €800 billion until 2030, including the SAFE programme worth €150 billion for joint procurement. She announced that SAFE has now reached 10 agreements worth €100 billion, and that 35% of cost components can go outside the EU, with the possibility for countries that have signed a security and defence agreement with the EU to exceed that threshold — Canada being the first to do so.
Von der Leyen stressed the importance of interoperability between EU and NATO forces, noting that all member states and allies have a single set of forces assigned to various missions. She emphasised that the next long-term EU budget will include €131 billion for military capabilities and €17 billion for military mobility infrastructure. Addressing Türkiye's role, she acknowledged it as one of NATO's largest armed forces and pointed to opportunities under SAFE and the broader €800 billion envelope, where member states decide how to invest their defence allocations. She also underlined the need to align with NATO Defence Planning Process targets to fill capability gaps cost-efficiently.
Turning to Ukraine, von der Leyen praised its innovative defence industry and announced that the EU has opened its Innovation Office in Kyiv to foster direct contact with Ukrainian companies. She encouraged EU firms to enter joint ventures with Ukrainian counterparts and said the EU is working on a longer-term partnership to boost cutting-edge technology production together with Ukraine. On hybrid threats, she called for a whole-of-society approach to build resilience against foreign interference and disinformation, citing Eurobarometer data showing that European citizens rank security and resilience among their top concerns.