Trump to huddle with Zelensky, Syrian leader at NATO Summit

Skip to content

President Trump will meet Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, during his trip to Turkey for the annual NATO summit.

The president leaves for Ankara on Monday evening for the two-day summit, according to a senior White House official.

Trump will participate in bilateral meetings with the two leaders, followed by a press conference before departing for Washington, the official said.

Trump met with Zelensky less than three weeks ago at a G-7 meeting in France. After their meeting, the U.S. president said Russia “should make a deal” to end its war in Ukraine, citing mounting casualties.

The two leaders also spoke by phone on July 4; Zelensky congratulated Trump “and all Americans” on the country’s 250th birthday.

“Of course, President Trump and I discussed the current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social platform X. “There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive. We have agreed to continue these discussions during the NATO Summit in Ankara.”

Last week, the Russian military launched strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, with Zelensky saying Thursday that 21 people were killed and nearly 100 more sought medical help after the attack. The drone and missile strikes damaged more than 100 “ordinary residential” buildings.

Trump also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Saturday, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Their conversation, which lasted one hour and 25 minutes, was “highly constructive” and featured Trump confirming “his readiness to facilitate the earliest possible cessation of hostilities and the search for peaceful solutions to overcome the crisis,” according to Yuri Ushakov, a longtime aide to Putin.

The senior U.S. official also said the meeting between Trump and Zelensky is intended for the two “to talk about how we can end the war.”

The official added: “The President feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop. Both sides have articulated as recently, as you mentioned, as yesterday, that President Trump plays a unique role in his ability to try to mediate this.”

Trump has praised al-Sharaa since he took over Syria after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled for Moscow when rebel troops entered Damascus.

At the G7 meeting last month, Trump said al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander, could more effectively combat Hezbollah than Israel. The Israeli military’s campaign against the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon has resulted in scores of killed civilians and derailed peace talks between the U.S. and Iran last month.

“He’s very good with Hezbollah, does not like them,” Trump said of al-Sharra. “And I’ll tell you what, Israel’s [been] fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed.”

Tags

Bashar al-Assad

Donald Trump

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.