NATO member states are discussing the possibility of postponing or cancelling the alliance's annual summit next year, with one reason said to be a desire to avoid a fresh round of criticism from US President Donald Trump.
The report comes from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the agency, discussions about abandoning NATO's traditional annual summit gathered pace this week during the alliance's leaders' meeting in Ankara.
Bloomberg's sources said Trump's repeated criticism of NATO has raised concerns that the summit planned in Albania could become another platform for public disputes between the United States and its allies.
The report also notes that Albania only recently met NATO's target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defence.
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is said to favour maintaining the tradition of annual summits. According to the sources, he has repeatedly highlighted to Trump the significant increase in defence spending by allied nations, although it remains unclear how much this has influenced the US president's position.
The final declaration from the Ankara summit is expected to make no reference to the date of the next NATO leaders' meeting.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, confirmed that the next summit will be held in Albania, but said no final decision has been made on its timing.
"The summit will take place in Albania, but whether it will be next year or the year after is a matter that is currently under discussion," he said.