US President Donald Trump will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Turkey this week for a NATO summit, to make a new effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump is scheduled to arrive at the summit on Tuesday. His first meeting will be with the summit's host, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The White House said Trump will also meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and hold a news conference.
A senior US official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity about the trip, said Trump will meet with Zelenskyy on Wednesday to discuss how they can end the war.
"The battlefield has clearly frozen over the last two months and neither side is making much progress. The president feels a real sense of urgency to try to stop this," the official said.
Trump will also call on NATO allies to increase their defense spending, the official said.
"He will convey this message personally," the official said.
European officials say they hope Trump's strong relationships with Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will ensure a smooth summit. But Europeans remain uncertain because of transatlantic bitterness over the Iran war and the US president's frequent criticism of NATO.
Trump has complained that NATO members have not done more to help the United States in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
