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U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, White House reported on Sunday.
The reported bilateral, if confirmed, would mark another milestone in a rapidly evolving relationship between Washington and Damascus that has accelerated since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in Dec. 2024.
The two-day NATO summit, scheduled for July 7 and 8 at the Bestepe presidential complex in Ankara, is the alliance's 36th gathering and only the second ever hosted by Türkiye, following the 2004 Istanbul summit.
The gathering is expected to address defense spending commitments and continued support for Ukraine, with NATO members set to pledge 70 billion euros in military assistance to Kyiv for 2026.
Al-Sharaa's anticipated appearance in Ankara comes as Damascus has been actively signaling its desire to deepen ties with the United States.
On July 4, Syrian President al-Sharaa offered congratulations to Trump and the American people on the occasion of the country's 250th independence anniversary.
In a post on X, al-Sharaa wrote that "in the new Syria, we look forward to building relations based on mutual respect and fruitful cooperation to promote stability and prosperity, serve the aspirations of our peoples, and contribute to security and peace in the region and the world."
Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a parallel statement the same day, reaffirming Damascus's commitment to promoting dialogue and advancing ties based on mutual respect and shared interests, and expressing a desire to contribute to regional and international peace and security.
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