Trump to meet Zelenskyy, Syria's al-Sharaa at NATO summit
SkimNews Take
Hosting both Zelenskyy and Syria's new leadership in Ankara underscores Turkey's unique position as the NATO member with active channels to both Ukraine's war effort and the post-Assad government in Damascus.
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- Trump plans to meet Ukraine's Zelenskyy and Syria's al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Turkey, per White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.
- Zelenskyy said after a Saturday call with Trump there is "a real prospect of ending this war," with the two discussing front lines where analysts say Russian advances have "sputtered."
- Putin also phoned Trump on Saturday, with Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov saying Trump reaffirmed "readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities"; Trump is expected to follow up with Putin after meeting Zelenskyy.
- Al-Sharaa, who led Islamic insurgent forces that ousted Bashar Assad, has rejected Trump's repeated suggestion that Syria fight Hezbollah in place of Israel.
- Trump is also scheduled to meet Turkey's President Erdogan on Tuesday and hold a Wednesday news conference before returning to the United States.
- The Russia-Ukraine war is now in its fifth year, and a senior U.S. official said Trump feels urgency to end the conflict.
Why it matters: By pairing a Wednesday Zelenskyy sit-down with a planned Putin follow-up, Trump is positioning himself as the principal broker on a war that has now stretched past four years; the parallel meeting with Syria's al-Sharaa — a former insurgent leader — underscores how far Trump is willing to expand that diplomatic aperture to reshape regional pressure on Hezbollah.
