Was the NATO summit in Ankara a success?

In this episode of GZERO Europe, Carl Bildt reflects on the NATO summit in Ankara and why Europe is treating the outcome as a success mainly because it avoided open controversy.

Bildt says the summit concluded with an official statement from NATO leaders that was better than last year, noting that it reaffirmed Article 5, took a tough stance on Russia, and maintained support for Ukraine, though it stopped short of announcing significant new commitments.

The larger story, he argues, is Europe's evolving security role. “There's no question that we are on the way to a NATO with substantially less of the United States,” Bildt says, as European allies sharply increase defense spending to shoulder more of the burden. He also highlights Trump's renewed comments on Greenland and Spain, underscoring the political tensions that continue to shape transatlantic relations.