President Meloni’s press conference introduction at the 2026 NATO Summit

INTRODUCTION BY PRESIDENT MELONI

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here, thank you for your work.

This was a brief but intense NATO Summit, taking on particular importance at a time when the global security scenario is changing extremely quickly. The Summit clearly provided an opportunity to discuss with colleagues both the work we have done so far and how to make the Atlantic Alliance – which was established as a defence and deterrence alliance – even stronger, even more solid and better able to respond to the complex challenges of our era.

I believe that, ultimately, this is the most important message from the Ankara Summit. NATO is a united alliance that is aware of the challenges it faces and is determined to strengthen itself.

Italy fully shares these goals and this approach, bringing to the Summit a very concrete idea of security: security that not only regards geopolitical balances but that also affects citizens’ daily lives. Today, when we talk about security – as we have said on several occasions – it doesn’t mean talking just about defence in the traditional sense of the term (which is obviously also important); it means also talking about protecting critical infrastructure, energy security, cybersecurity and therefore data security for households, companies and public administrations (look at the sabotage of the rail system), border protection, the resilience of supply chains and emergency response capacity. All these issues have a direct impact on the freedom, prosperity, growth and quality of life of citizens and our communities.

This is obviously the context in which the commitments undertaken by allies should also be viewed. Today, investing in security means strengthening the state’s ability to defend its citizens as well as its sovereignty and freedom.

As I reiterated in Parliament, Italy presented itself at this Summit with 2.8% of its gross domestic product invested in defence and security, up 0.71% compared with the previous year. This increase reflects this broader concept of national security and strategic resilience, because we clearly want to deliver on our commitments. We will do so and are already doing so. However, we also want to do so in a sustainable way, in other words by setting our own time frames, methods and priorities based on the context and based on what we are able to do.

We are nevertheless convinced that it is absolutely necessary, especially at a time like this. It is time for Europe to guarantee its own security on its own, and not to do someone a favour but in order not to depend on anyone else. It is therefore a matter of sovereignty, even before it is a matter of defence.

Moving on, we also highlighted that Italy’s contribution to the Alliance goes beyond the - albeit important - accounting exercises that simplify our work. We provide NATO with much more, making Italy a security provider and credible ally. This is demonstrated by the fact that almost 3,000 Italian troops are deployed in the Alliance’s main theatres of action. We are the NATO member that, in absolute terms, contributes the largest number of men and women to missions NATO is engaged in. No other nation provides more troops than us. This can also be seen in our focus on the Southern Flank, which is necessary for everyone because the wider Mediterranean is a strategic frontier and has a direct impact on everyone’s collective security. This is also clear from our readiness when it comes to the new challenges we are facing. I am thinking of the Hormuz crisis, for example: we have already said that we are willing to help and do our part, albeit within the framework we have reiterated several times and after completing any necessary Parliamentary procedures, notwithstanding the latest, very bad news regarding the crisis in Iran. This is also demonstrated by our strong support for Ukraine, which I reaffirmed again during my bilateral meeting with President Zelensky this morning. As you know, over the last few months, Italy has above all been focusing on what we consider to be an essential front: energy resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure, which remains a constant and, one might say, a priority target of Russia’s aggression.

I clearly continue to believe that we must equally support efforts towards a just and lasting peace and to ensure Europe has the role it should have as part of that process. 

Moving on, during my address to the other leaders, I also sought to share a reflection which I frankly believe to be decisive for the Alliance’s future. Namely, I do not think the point is simply how much we invest in defence and security; I think the point is also what we are investing in when we invest in defence and security, because I believe the war in Ukraine has clearly shown how modern warfare is changing. Today, what we are seeing in Ukraine is that a tank worth millions can be destroyed by a drone worth 20,000 euros, and that a person trained to fly drones remotely can be more lethal than a sniper. A reflection is therefore needed on how we invest.

There is another reflection which we could say is even more strategic: namely, if we increase the amounts we are investing without raising the political issue of how to guarantee our control over key defence supply chains, then we risk paying to fund our dependencies. Out of the 12 critical raw materials identified by NATO, at least six are controlled by just one country, which in some cases controls 70% of production. I therefore believe that, upstream of this discussion, after deciding that we’re all going to spend more, we must understand what we are spending the money on and how we can ensure that what we are investing in and spending resources on is something that we fully control and know we have sovereignty over. 

These are some of the reflections we raised, which clearly leads me to also highlight that it is our responsibility to strengthen our industrial and technological base; develop shared capabilities and innovation, research and strategic manufacturing; build critical mass together; work together at a geopolitical level and with regard to our alliances in order to rebuild supply chains. This is clearly the same thing our Government is committed to doing in Italy: as we strengthen security for citizens, we also ask ourselves how this can also help bolster our research capabilities, our technological capabilities and our economy.

If we are investing in our defence, that money has to remain in Italy, in our factories, in our research efforts, in our local areas. So, more security but also more skilled work, more research and more growth, and not sending cheques abroad. This is how we are working at this stage.

In conclusion, here in Ankara, Italy sat at the table guided by a single compass: defence of our national interest. For us, this also means defending our system of international alliances. More concrete security for Italians, more work for our companies and respect for a sovereign nation that continues to do its part across the board – for the solidity of the Alliance, for the unity of the West – with its own priorities and time frames and defending its interests while also doing so with dignity and its head held high.

In closing, I wish to thank President Erdoğan for the great hospitality and excellent organisation. We just had a bilateral meeting (which is the reason I got here slightly late) during which we discussed many issues regarding our bilateral cooperation, from defence through to the fight against illegal immigration, and I therefore had the opportunity to thank him and congratulate him personally.

I’ll stop here, over to you.

[Courtesy translation]

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President Meloni attends 2026 NATO Summit

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