U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during this week's NATO summit in Türkiye as Washington renews efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.
Trump is due to arrive in Türkiye on Tuesday for the alliance summit, where his first bilateral meeting will be with host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The White House also said Trump is scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and hold a news conference during the visit.
According to a senior U.S. official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, Trump and Zelenskyy will hold talks on Wednesday focused on ending the conflict.
"The battlefield has clearly frozen over the last couple of months and neither side is making a lot of progress," the official said.
"The president feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop."
The planned meeting comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled despite continued fighting.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to bring an end to the war and has expressed concern over the continuing casualties and destruction caused by the conflict.
The senior U.S. official said Trump is expected to discuss possible paths towards a settlement with Zelenskyy and could then follow up directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The development follows a 90-minute phone conversation between Trump and Putin on Saturday. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the U.S. president offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war during the call.
Trump's administration believes the recent slowdown in battlefield developments could create an opportunity for renewed diplomatic engagement.
The U.S. president is also expected to use the summit to press NATO allies to increase their defence spending, a longstanding demand that has remained a key part of his foreign policy message.
"He will deliver that message in person," the senior official said.
The official added that several defence-related agreements worth billions of dollars are expected to be announced during the summit, though no further details were provided.
European officials are hoping Trump's relationships with Erdogan and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will help ensure a productive summit.
However, some European capitals remain cautious amid lingering tensions over the recent conflict involving Iran and Trump's frequent criticism of NATO allies.
Trump has argued that alliance members have not done enough to support the United States during the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Despite those differences, NATO leaders are expected to focus heavily on Ukraine, defence spending and broader security challenges facing the alliance.
The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting comes as prospects for peace remain unclear.
Last month, Zelenskyy publicly called for a one-on-one meeting with Putin, but the Kremlin leader declined the proposal.
Russia continues to insist that any settlement must include Moscow assuming full control of Ukraine's Donbas region, a demand Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
While Ukraine has recently succeeded in slowing or halting some Russian advances, neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough, contributing to growing international calls for renewed diplomatic efforts.
The talks in Türkiye are expected to provide one of the most significant opportunities in recent months for discussions on how the conflict might eventually be brought to an end.
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