Donald Trump's Visit to Türkiye (July 2026)

Donald Trump’s Visit to Türkiye is an official visit that began on 7 July 2026 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The visit includes participation in the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Ankara.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on 3 June 2026 that President Donald Trump would “personally attend” the NATO summit in Ankara. Rubio stated that he believed the meeting in Ankara would “likely be the most important meeting in NATO’s history” and noted that there were “certain issues that needed to be clarified and corrected” at the summit.

Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran announced via a social media platform that Trump would make an official visit to Türkiye on 7 July at the invitation of President Erdoğan.

According to Duran’s statement, Erdoğan and Trump will hold talks in Ankara on “the bilateral relations between the two close allies and strategic partners”. It was stated that the talks would cover all aspects of Türkiye–U.S. relations, including defense, trade and investment, and that steps to deepen existing cooperation would be reviewed. It was also indicated that the two leaders would exchange views on regional and global developments.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, alongside U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker, shared some details regarding the Ankara visit during a teleconference press briefing on 5 July. Ambassador Whitaker highlighted during the briefing that the summit represents “a critical threshold for the future of the Alliance”, particularly with regard to defense spending and burden sharing.

President Trump arrived in Türkiye on 7 July 2026 at approximately 14:00 local time. He landed in Ankara aboard the newly acquired Air Force One aircraft, gifted by Qatar. This flight marked the first overseas presidential trip using this aircraft. After being welcomed at the airport by President Erdoğan, Trump is expected to proceed to bilateral talks at the Presidential Complex.

According to the schedule released by the White House, President Trump’s first stop in Ankara will be the Beştepe Presidential Complex. There, he will be formally received by President Erdoğan and will then hold a one-on-one meeting.

According to the White House announcement, President Trump is expected to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday and attend the NATO leaders’ dinner.

On Wednesday, Trump’s schedule includes the NATO Leaders Working Session and the official “family photo” with all attending leaders. On the second day of the summit, Trump’s afternoon agenda will consist of bilateral meetings.

After concluding his engagements in Ankara, Trump is planned to hold a press conference on the final evening of his visit to assess both his trip and the NATO Summit, before departing Ankara for Washington.

According to the White House, Trump is expected to return to Washington on the same evening aboard the new Boeing 747–type Air Force One aircraft, his first use of the plane on an overseas trip.

It has been reported that following his engagements at the NATO Summit in Ankara, U.S. President Trump will hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy and Syrian President Ahmed Şara. At a press briefing attended by White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, it was confirmed that the President would meet with Zelenskiy and Şara in Ankara after the NATO Summit agenda on Wednesday.

U.S. senior officials informed the Anadolu Agency that diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine will be at the center of President Trump’s meeting with Zelenskiy. It was stated that the main agenda of the meeting will be bringing the war to an end.

The U.S. side emphasized that it maintains contact with both Russia and Ukraine and that President Trump is playing a mediating role. Officials stated that the continuation of the war is causing “heavy losses and destruction for both sides” and that diplomatic efforts to achieve a resolution will be accelerated.