Russia denounced NATO’s decisions at a summit in Turkey on Wednesday, saying they could have catastrophic consequences, after the alliance announced military ​aid to Ukraine and reaffirmed members’ commitment to collective ‌defence, Reuters reported.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said NATO’s priorities remained unchanged: “the militarisation of the European continent, the focus on building up defence capabilities, preparation for an ​armed conflict with Russia, and, of course, aid to Ukraine”.

“It ​is a pity, because if NATO strategists had stopped ⁠and thought for a moment, they might not have made such ​irresponsible decisions that could lead to a catastrophe not just for ​the alliance, but for the whole world,” Zakharova said in a statement on her ministry’s website.

NATO members at the summit pledged €70 billion ($80 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine ​for 2026.

They reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under the ​alliance’s Article 5 pact in a summit declaration and unveiled arms deals worth at ‌least $50 ⁠billion.

In her comments, Zakharova said “cracks” between the United States and its NATO partners “have not gone anywhere”.

“Against this backdrop, the Americans do not hide their disappointment with the North Atlantic bloc,” she wrote.

“The issue with ​Greenland is not ​being resolved ⁠according to the American scenario. There is also resentment that alliance members, as Washington sees it, did ​not act in a supportive way when the United ​States ⁠needed their backing.”

NATO Secretary Genera Mark Rutte, in an interview with Reuters, said disputes between U.S. President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders showed the ⁠alliance’s ​democratic strength and should serve as a ​lesson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, read the report.

“I would say to Putin: You should have some ​more discussions yourself, out in the open,” Rutte told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for the opening of the two-day NATO Summit, where alliance leaders are set to discuss defence spending, military support for Ukraine and strengthening defence production.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Trump upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport before the US president headed to the presidential complex for an official welcoming ceremony.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold bilateral talks followed by delegation-level meetings focusing on regional and international issues. They are also expected to address the media at a joint news conference.

Earlier in the day, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye. Accompanied by a US delegation, Caine observed a moment of silence and laid a wreath at Ataturk’s tomb.

The NATO summit has brought together heads of state and government from alliance members, along with leaders from key partner nations. Discussions are expected to centre on implementing defence spending commitments agreed at last year’s summit in The Hague, maintaining military assistance for Ukraine and expanding the alliance’s defence industrial capacity.

Turkish authorities detained more than 100 people taking part in an anti-NATO protest march organised by the Communist Party ​of Turkey (TKP) on Sunday, ahead of an alliance summit in Ankara next week, ‌the party said in a statement.

Turkey will host leaders from the 32 allied countries, as well as officials from NATO’s partners, in Ankara for a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities have ramped up security measures across the ​Turkish capital ahead of the meeting, banning demonstrations, barricading large parts of the city, ​and closing off roads, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the TKP said it had organised the ⁠protest march in Ankara’s central Kizilay square, adding that more than 100 party members, including administrators, ​had been detained.

Footage showed flag-waving protesters chanting slogans including “Murderer NATO, get out of country” and “No passage ​to NATO”, as riot police intervened using tear gas to disperse crowds.

In a separate protest organised by the TKP, hundreds of people marched from Istanbul’s Taksim Square to Dolmabahce. There were also two separate protests organised by leftist ​groups in the Kadikoy district. Despite a heavy police presence, there were no scuffles during the ​protests in Istanbul.

“We have gathered today in many parts of Turkey to protest against NATO,” TKP Secretary General ‌Kemal ⁠Okuyan said in Istanbul.

“We said that we would not hand over Ankara to supporters of NATO, that we would not allow Ankara to remain silent. We have fulfilled that promise.”

The government did not immediately comment on the protests or the detentions.

Authorities last month arrested 103 people as part of anti-terror raids in ​Ankara in which 225 ​people were detained.

Separately, 39 ⁠others, including journalists from independent outlets, activists, and academics, were detained in anti-terror raids across the country, media reported on Sunday.

Tuncer Bakirhan, co-chair of ​Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party, and main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) court-appointed chairman ​Kemal Kilicdaroglu ⁠criticised the detentions as unacceptable measures hindering basic rights ahead of the NATO summit.

“The country has been fully turned into a detention centre by using the NATO summit as an excuse,” Bakirhan said on ⁠X. “We are ​living through days of undeclared martial law.”

Turkish prosecutors have ​previously said the operations were part of efforts to uncover militant group activities, without mentioning the summit.