U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy participate in a working session of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 16, 2026.
Thibaut Camus | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending a NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. These discussions will come as Kiev seeks to refocus Trump’s attention on the conflict with Moscow, and as Trump publicly ponders Syria’s role in the Middle East.
White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the meeting in a phone call with reporters while previewing the upcoming summit in Ankara. President Trump is also scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference before returning to the United States on Wednesday, Kelly said.
The meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky took place as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fifth year. Mr. Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with President Trump on Saturday to congratulate him on the July 4th 250th anniversary of American independence.
In a statement to X after the phone call, Zelensky said he and Trump discussed the situation on the front lines of the war, where analysts say Russia’s progress is stalling. Ukraine stepped up its attacks on Moscow and demonstrated its ability to attack Russia more deeply.
The Ukrainian leader said there was “a real prospect of ending this war” and that dialogue would continue at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the phone call between Putin and Trump reaffirmed the Republican president’s “readiness to support the achievement of an early cessation of hostilities and the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis” in Ukraine.
A senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity on Sunday about the administration’s approach said Trump feels a sense of urgency to end the war and plans to talk to Zelensky about how to do it. The official said Trump will follow up with President Zelensky in Ankara and after his meeting with President Putin.
U.S. officials did not provide details about the purpose of the meeting between Trump and al-Shara.
As President Trump grows increasingly frustrated with the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is complicating Iran war negotiations, the U.S. leader has repeatedly surprised many in the region by suggesting Syria fight Hezbollah instead.
Al-Shara, who heads the Islamic militant group whose rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s president, said he had no interest in doing so. He suggested that Trump’s comments were misunderstood, despite Trump’s repeated statements.
