U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold separate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday.
The meetings come as Ukraine seeks to refocus President Trump’s attention on the ongoing war with Russia and push for renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
According to the White House, Trump will discuss the war with Zelensky following recent phone conversations with both the Ukrainian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A senior U.S. official said Trump remains eager to secure a swift end to the fighting and is expected to speak with Putin again after his meeting with Zelensky.
Following his call with Trump, Zelensky said the two leaders discussed the latest situation on the battlefield and agreed there was “a real prospect” for ending the war. He added that discussions would continue during the NATO summit.
Trump is also scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, although U.S. officials have not disclosed the agenda for the talks. The meeting comes after Trump recently suggested that Syria could play a greater role in addressing regional security issues, including confronting Hezbollah. Sharaa has, however, maintained that Syria has no interest in joining such a conflict and said Trump’s earlier remarks had been misunderstood.
In addition to the meetings with Zelensky and Sharaa, Trump is expected to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before concluding the summit with a press conference.
The high-level meetings are expected to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, regional security, and efforts to advance diplomatic solutions to ongoing conflicts.
