WASHINGTON D.C., United States – Web Desk: US President Donald Trump has departed for Ankara to attend the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, marking the first visit by a US president to Turkey in 17 years . Air Force One departed from Joint Base Andrews at 9:41 PM local time, with the President expected to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon .
President Trump is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chiefs of Staff Dan Scavino and Stephen Miller, and Communications Director Steven Cheung. Upon arrival, Trump will be received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks covering defense, trade, and investment .
The summit, being hosted by Turkey for the first time since the 2004 Istanbul summit , will bring together leaders from all 32 NATO member states . Key agenda items include defense burden-sharing, NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, the war in Ukraine, and security challenges on the alliance’s southern flank .
On the sidelines of the summit, President Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa . The meeting with al-Sharaa would mark the first direct interaction between a US president and Syria’s new leadership following the fall of the Assad regime .
