President Donald Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 8 during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in an effort to advance talks aimed at ending the protracted conflict in Ukraine, according to a senior U.S. official. The summit runs from July 7 to 8 and will bring together leaders from 32 allied countries, alongside officials from NATO’s partner states.
Trump is scheduled to arrive on July 7, with his first engagement a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the summit host. Additionally, he will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and hold a news conference. The senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, emphasized that Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy will focus on exploring ways to halt the war, describing the conflict's front lines as largely static in recent months with neither side making significant advances.
“The battlefield has clearly frozen over the last couple of months and neither side is making a lot of progress,” the official said. Trump reportedly expresses a sense of urgency about seeking a resolution to the fighting. Following the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump is expected to follow up with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after having spoken with Putin for 90 minutes on July 4, during which he offered to help facilitate a solution to the Ukraine war.
The conflict, which erupted in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has seen Ukrainian forces slow or halt Russian advances, applying increasing pressure on Moscow. Zelenskyy recently called for direct talks with Putin, but the Kremlin rejected the proposal, insisting that any settlement must include Moscow’s full control over Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region—a demand Ukraine has firmly rejected.
In addition to the diplomatic engagements, Trump will use the summit to push NATO allies to increase their defense spending. Defense contracts valued at billions of dollars are also expected to be announced during the meeting, though officials have withheld specific details. European officials have expressed cautious optimism that Trump’s relationships with Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte may facilitate a productive summit but remain wary given past tensions over NATO’s role in regional conflicts, including disagreements related to the Iran war.
Host nation Turkey has intensified security measures throughout Ankara ahead of the summit, imposing demonstration bans, road closures, and erecting barricades. Despite this, anti-NATO protests took place, organized primarily by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP). On July 5, Turkish authorities detained over 100 demonstrators in Ankara, including TKP members and administrators, as security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds protesting with slogans opposing NATO’s presence.
Similar protests occurred in Istanbul, where hundreds marched from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce and in the Kadikoy district, though these gatherings remained peaceful despite a heavy police presence. TKP Secretary General Kemal Okuyan stated the protests were a demonstration of opposition to NATO and a refusal to allow the Turkish capital to remain silent over the alliance’s role.
Meanwhile, separate anti-terrorism raids across Turkey led to the detention of 39 individuals, including journalists from independent media, activists, and academics. The moves have drawn criticism from Turkish opposition figures, including Tuncer Bakirhan of the pro-Kurdish Democracy and Freedoms Party (DEM) and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, court-appointed chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, who condemned the detentions as infringements on basic rights ahead of the summit. The Turkish government has yet to issue a formal response to the protests or the arrests.