Trump to Meet Ukrainian and Syrian Leaders on Sidelines of NATO Summit in Turkey

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the NATO summit in Ankara this week, as Washington seeks to advance efforts to end the war in Ukraine and strengthen regional diplomacy.

According to a senior U.S. official, Trump will meet Zelenskiy in a renewed push to find a resolution to the more than four-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The meeting follows recent telephone conversations Trump held with both Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he expressed willingness to help broker a peace agreement.

The White House said Trump’s first bilateral meeting at the summit will be with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the host of the July 7-8 NATO gathering. He is also scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa before holding a press conference at the conclusion of his visit.

The NATO summit is expected to focus on continued support for Ukraine, increased defence spending by alliance members, and efforts to maintain transatlantic unity amid ongoing security challenges. Trump is also expected to urge NATO allies to further increase their defence commitments while announcing new U.S. defence agreements.

The success of the summit is seen as significant for NATO, with European allies hoping Trump’s close ties with Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will help ease tensions within the alliance and support renewed diplomatic efforts over Ukraine.