Key facts
- Rama said there is not yet a common position on when the summit will happen, and for sure not in 2027.
- Rama said that in 2028, if there is a summit, it will be in Tirana.
- A NATO official said the next NATO summit will be held in Albania and a decision on the date has yet to be made.
- Diplomats said the alliance could still decide to hold a summit at short notice in 2026, but not in Tirana.
- Reuters reported in June that plans for a summit in Albania were in doubt over resistance from the Trump administration and members' dissatisfaction with Tirana's low defense spending.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on November 12, 2026 that NATO will not hold a summit in Albania in 2027, despite previous plans, because members have not agreed on timing. Speaking in Dublin ahead of a gathering of European leaders, Rama said: "The issue is that there is not yet common position on when the summit will happen, for sure not in 2027." He added: "And in 2028, if it will be a summit, it will be in Tirana."
A NATO official said on November 12, 2026 that "the next NATO Summit will be held in Albania. A decision on the date has yet to be made." The two accounts differ on whether Albania will host the next summit and when.
Reuters reported in June that plans for an alliance summit in Albania in 2027 had been thrown into doubt due to resistance from the Trump administration and dissatisfaction among NATO members with Tirana's low defense spending. NATO has been considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with US President Donald Trump later in his term, according to the report.
Diplomats said the alliance could still decide to hold a summit at short notice in 2026, but not in Tirana.
In a declaration adopted at the June 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, the alliance's leaders wrote: "We look forward to our next meeting in Turkiye in 2026 followed by a meeting in Albania." In a declaration adopted at the alliance's Ankara summit in July 2026, leaders said, "We look forward to our next meeting," without specifying a time or location for a future summit.