WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump will meet his Ukrainian and Syrian counterparts on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said Sunday, as he seeks to make headway in addressing two key conflicts.

 

"On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump will participate in bilateral meetings with President Zelensky of Ukraine and President al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic," Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a call with reporters.

 

Trump's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara comes amid growing efforts to end the grinding, nearly stalemated invasion of Ukraine that Russia launched nearly four-and-a-half years ago.

 

"The president's obviously getting together with him to talk about how we can end the war. That's been a priority of his for a long time," a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added about the Zelensky meeting.

 

Trump would "follow up" with Russian President Vladimir Putin afterwards, the official said.

 

Both Putin and Zelensky spoke by phone with Trump on Saturday in calls to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.

 

Trump and Zelensky most recently met during the G7 summit in France in June, where leaders agreed to intensify pressure on Russia to end the war with Ukraine.

 

But Trump has also had tense ties with the Ukrainian, most notably during a shouting match in the Oval Office in February 2025 when he said Zelensky lacked the "cards" to win.

 

The meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa meanwhile comes after Trump repeatedly suggested that Damascus could get involved militarily in Lebanon, where Israel and Hizbollah are at war.

 

But Al Sharaa, whom Trump hosted at the White House last year, denied in June that his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon, saying he was looking for "economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones."

 

NATO allies must ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs in its war with Russia, alliance secretary general Mark Rutte said Monday on the eve of a crucial NATO summit.

 

"Right now, Ukraine is changing the dynamics on the battlefield.. but they need our continued support especially when it comes to air defence," he told reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara. "Allies and NATO partners must continue to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs."

 

NATO allies will unveil billions in new contracts to bolster their ability to "defer and defend", Rutte said.

 

"We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend," he told a news conference in Ankara.

 

NATO's European members and Canada will pledge to give Ukraine 70 billion euros ($80 billion) in military aid both this year and next at the alliance's summit in Ankara next week, diplomats said Friday.

 

The vow — to be contained in a final summit declaration — includes 30 billion euros each year from an EU loan and funds already committed by individual countries, diplomats said.

 

The largely symbolic move is aimed at showing US President Donald Trump that allies have fully taken over the financing of Ukraine's fight against Russia as he has stopped Washington's support.

 

And it is meant to demonstrate to Zelensky — who will attend the summit — that backing remains steadfast as his country appears to be turn the tide in the war.

 

Diplomats say that the financing from the European Union loan and the pledges they have made already mean they are on course to reach the 70 billion euros in each year.

 

Germany — now the largest backer of Ukraine — had pushed to have the commitment put in writing as it seeks to drive other European countries to do more.

 

Officials said that there was some pushback from Italy over putting the pledge in black-and-white, but that it was eventually approved Friday by ambassadors at NATO.