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U.S. President Donald Trump will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara this week, the White House announced, as U.S. officials signaled that ending the war in Ukraine will dominate the agenda.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the meeting during a teleconference briefing alongside U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker, offering new details about Trump's two-day schedule in the Turkish capital.
Senior U.S. officials told Anadolu Agency that diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a close will be the central focus of Trump's sit-down with Zelenskyy.
One official described conditions on the front lines as largely static, saying the front has been "largely frozen in recent months" and that Washington feels "a sense of urgency" to end the fighting.
Officials noted that continued hostilities have caused "heavy casualties and destruction for both sides," and pledged to accelerate diplomatic efforts toward a resolution.
The U.S. side emphasized that contacts with both Russia and Ukraine remain ongoing and that Trump is playing an active mediating role.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday, where he is expected to receive an official welcome ceremony from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He will attend a NATO leaders' dinner that evening before joining Wednesday's plenary session and the alliance's traditional family photograph.
Following his bilateral meetings, Trump will hold a press conference to address his engagements during the visit.
He is then set to return to Washington aboard the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747, which officials noted will mark his first international trip on the aircraft.
Ambassador Whitaker, in his remarks at the briefing, underscored the significance of the gathering, calling the Ankara summit "a critical threshold for the future of the alliance" and pointing to defense spending and burden-sharing as key issues on the table.
Beyond Ukraine, a second senior U.S. official said the summit will take up Iran-related regional security risks and the protection of maritime trade routes.
The official noted that while NATO allies have expressed willingness to contribute, many lack sufficient naval assets and military capacity, saying, "What we need is capable allies. Some countries don't have the ships and assets to make a meaningful contribution."
New defense industry partnerships and production agreements worth billions of dollars are also expected to be announced on the sidelines of the summit.
Trump is also scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa briefly during the visit, reflecting continued U.S. engagement with Damascus as Syria navigates a post-conflict transition following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.
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