Marko Savković, Senior Adviser at the ISAC Fund, appeared on the TV program “Svet. Uživo”, broadcast on July 11. The central topic of discussion was the NATO Summit in Türkiye and the question of whether the Alliance had demonstrated unity.
In short, what were the key messages delivered at the summit?
First, NATO remains a functional and politically relevant alliance, but beneath its formal unity there are differing national interests and disagreements among member states, particularly regarding security priorities and the sharing of defense burdens. Trump appeared to have left the summit satisfied, but not before criticizing allied countries at the beginning of the gathering (Spain in particular).
Second, the war in Ukraine continues to be the key factor keeping the Allies united, despite occasional political tensions between individual member states.
The decisions adopted at the summit will have long-term implications for European security, as they affect future military planning, defense investments, and NATO’s relations with Russia. Military capabilities are being strengthened primarily in response to Russia; relations with China are more complex and, at this stage, are characterized more by strategic competition than by direct confrontation.
Finally, the Western Balkans, including Serbia, were not a focus of the summit, which Savković described as “excellent.” However, when Serbia is discussed, there is one persistent issue: Banjska. It may not appear “in the first sentence,” but it is always “somewhere in the background,” he concluded.
Link to full program (in Serbian):