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US President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. The meetings come as Trump seeks to restart momentum toward ending the war in Ukraine, which has seen little progress in recent months.

Trump is scheduled to arrive at the summit on Tuesday, where his first meeting will be with summit host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a senior US official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The White House confirmed Trump will also meet al-Sharaa and hold a press conference before returning to the United States.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the planned meetings is broadly consistent across the two outlets that covered the story, though with slightly different emphases.

The Jerusalem Post, citing a senior US official, framed the Zelensky meeting as part of Trump's "renewed push to end the war in Ukraine," noting that "the battlefield has clearly frozen over the last couple of months, and neither side is making a lot of progress." The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, highlighted Kyiv's effort to "refocus Trump's attention on the conflict with Moscow," and noted the war is now in its fifth year.

Both outlets reported that Trump will attend the NATO summit in Ankara and meet with Erdogan, and both reported the additional meeting with al-Sharaa and the scheduled press conference. The South China Morning Post added that both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Trump on Saturday, congratulating him on the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Key Claims

  • Trump will meet with Zelensky on Wednesday to discuss "how we can end the war," according to a senior US official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Trump will meet Erdogan on Tuesday, his first meeting at the summit, per the same official and confirmed by White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly in the South China Morning Post report.
  • Trump will meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, as confirmed by the White House and reported by both outlets.
  • Trump will hold a press conference, according to the White House.
  • Russia's war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year, reported by the South China Morning Post.
  • Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Moscow, demonstrating its ability to strike deeper into Russia, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
  • The war in Ukraine has seen little progress in recent months, with the battlefield "frozen over," according to the senior US official quoted by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Zelensky and Putin each held phone calls with Trump on Saturday, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
  • Trump will urge NATO allies to increase their defense spending, according to the senior US official, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Perspectives

White House / US Administration: The White House, through spokeswoman Anna Kelly and a senior official, framed the meetings as part of a push to end the war in Ukraine, with the official emphasizing Trump's "real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop."

Ukrainian Leadership: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement on social media after his call with Trump, said there is "a real prospect of ending this war" and that conversation would continue at the NATO summit in Ankara. Kyiv is reportedly seeking to refocus Trump's attention on the conflict with Moscow.