WASHINGTON — The White House has announced that President Donald Trump plans to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday as part of his attendance at the NATO summit being held in Turkey.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed both meetings during a call with reporters, offering a preview of the upcoming summit in Ankara. Trump is also scheduled to meet with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, and before heading back to the United States on Wednesday, he is expected to hold a news conference, according to Kelly.
The meeting with Zelenskyy is taking place against the backdrop of a war between Russia and Ukraine that is now in its fifth year. Both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin separately called Trump on Saturday to congratulate him on the July Fourth celebration marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Following his call with Trump, Zelenskyy posted a statement on X saying the two leaders discussed conditions on the front lines of the war, where analysts indicate Russian advances have largely stalled. Ukraine has also ramped up its own strikes, showing it can hit targets deeper inside Russian territory.
Zelenskyy expressed optimism, saying there is “a real prospect of ending this war,” and indicated that conversation would continue at the NATO gathering in Ankara.
On the Russian side, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that during Putin’s phone call with Trump, the president reaffirmed his “readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities and search for peaceful solutions to settle the crisis” in Ukraine.
A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously on Sunday to describe the administration’s thinking, said Trump feels a strong sense of urgency to bring the conflict to a close and intends to discuss that with Zelenskyy. The official also indicated Trump is expected to follow up with Putin after his Ankara meeting with the Ukrainian president.
As for the planned meeting with Syrian President al-Sharaa, U.S. officials offered no details about what the two leaders intend to discuss.
Trump has recently drawn attention for repeatedly suggesting that Syria take on Hezbollah in Lebanon — a notion that has surprised many in the region and complicated ongoing negotiations related to the conflict with Iran. Al-Sharaa, who previously led an Islamic insurgent group and whose rebel forces drove Bashar Assad from power in Syria, has said he has no desire to pursue that course. He has suggested Trump’s remarks were misunderstood, even as Trump has continued to make them.
