Russia’s war against Ukraine came up as US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met at the NATO summit in Ankara, with both leaders positioning themselves at the center of a renewed diplomatic push even as Kyiv warned that its cities remain exposed to Moscow’s ballistic missile attacks.
The summit has given Erdogan a high-profile stage to present Turkey as the premier diplomatic bridge between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington. Trump, meanwhile, praised the Turkish leader’s strength and suggested that Ankara’s role as host helped shape his own decision to attend.
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“If it weren’t held in Turkiye, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended,” Trump said during his sit-down with Erdogan.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Trump also struck an optimistic tone on Ukraine, claiming that both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky want the war to end.
“I think we’re getting much closer than people realize. And President Putin wants it to end, I will tell you that very strongly... and President Zelensky actually wants it to end now. And we’re going to be going to NATO and we’re going to be talking about it. And I think we’re going to get it ended,” Trump said.
But in a striking remark while seated next to Erdogan, Trump also downplayed the war’s direct impact on the US.
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The Russia-Ukraine war “doesn’t affect us,” Trump told reporters, adding in a broader explanation that the US has “an ocean” separating it from the conflict.
Trump’s remarks came as Zelensky prepared for a critical bilateral meeting with the US president on Wednesday, where Ukraine is expected to press for urgent air defense supplies. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that shortages of Patriot interceptor missiles leave Ukrainian cities vulnerable to Russia’s ballistic strikes.
Ukraine’s Presidential Office said Zelensky used his meetings in Ankara to stress the need for the fastest possible delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles, saying they are needed to save lives and prepare Ukraine for winter.
At the NATO defense industry forum, Zelensky also urged allies to make stronger decisions on air defense one of the summit’s key outcomes. According to the Ukrainian presidency, he warned that ballistic missiles remain Russia’s last major advantage and argued that Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems.
Trump, however, used much of his Ankara appearance to praise Erdogan and criticize other NATO allies. He singled out Britain, France, Germany and Italy for not doing enough to support US operations against Iran, saying he was “very disappointed with NATO.”
The meeting also produced a major shift in US-Turkish ties. Trump announced that Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Ankara over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system and signaled he would consider allowing Turkey to buy F-35 fighter jets, despite expected resistance in Congress.
“Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” Trump said, adding that restoring access to the F-35 program was “certainly something we will consider.”
For Erdogan, the summit offered a chance to convert his personal rapport with Trump into diplomatic leverage. Turkey has repeatedly offered to host renewed talks between Ukraine and Russia, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has continued to present Ankara as a possible platform for mediation. In June he repeated Turkey’s offer to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow and urged steps to avoid further escalation in the Black Sea.
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