On 8 July 2026 in the margins of the NATO Summit in Ankara, António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, had a trilateral meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye. 

The trilateral meeting focused on strengthening EU–Türkiye cooperation in response to evolving security challenges. Discussions covered European defence and NATO–EU coordination, continued support for Ukraine, migration management, economic and customs cooperation, energy security, and regional stability. The leaders also exchanged views on the Middle East and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining dialogue despite ongoing differences on issues such as the rule of law, Cyprus, and Türkiye's EU accession process.