WASHINGTON (AP) – A packed diplomatic schedule is set for U.S. President Donald Trump at the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, with high-stakes bilateral meetings confirmed with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday, the White House has announced. These talks come as Ukraine works to lock in U.S. focus on its nearly five-year-long conflict with Russia, and as Trump has raised public discussion of Syria’s shifting role in Middle Eastern power dynamics.
White House press secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the full itinerary during a press briefing call with reporters, where she previewed the summit agenda. Trump will kick off his trip with a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, and will hold a formal press conference before departing for Washington on Wednesday, Kelly added.
The sit-down between Trump and Zelenskyy comes as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year. In a pre-summit diplomatic exchange, both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin placed separate congratulatory phone calls to Trump Saturday, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence Day.
Following his call with Trump, Zelenskyy shared a statement on social platform X noting the pair had discussed frontline conditions, where military analysts assess that recent Russian territorial advances have stalled. In recent months, Ukraine has ramped up long-range strike operations against Russian targets, proving its capability to hit infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. Zelenskyy added that the two leaders agreed there is a “real prospect of ending this war,” and that detailed discussions would continue during their in-person meeting in Ankara.
On Russia’s side, Kremlin foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov said Putin’s call with Trump included the U.S. president reaffirming his “readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities and search for peaceful solutions to settle the crisis” in Ukraine. A senior anonymous U.S. administration official, speaking to reporters Sunday to outline the White House approach, noted Trump views ending the war as an urgent priority, and will lay out his framework for a resolution during talks with Zelenskyy. The official added that Trump plans to hold follow-up discussions with Putin after meeting with the Ukrainian leader in Ankara.
U.S. officials have so far released no details on the specific goals or agenda for Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa, the former insurgent leader whose forces recently ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad from power. In recent weeks, Trump has publicly floated the idea that Syria could lead a fight against Hezbollah amid growing U.S. frustration over the ongoing cross-border conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group, which has complicated broader diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions around Iran. The proposal has surprised regional stakeholders, and al-Sharaa has publicly pushed back, saying he has no interest in engaging in such a conflict, even as Trump has repeated the suggestion. Al-Sharaa has claimed Trump’s original comments were misinterpreted in media reporting.
These three high-level bilateral talks add to the already loaded agenda for the NATO summit, which comes as the alliance navigates multiple overlapping global security crises from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.