Trump hosts Erdogan for the first time since 2019

President Donald Trump held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House and signaled that the United States might soon lift its hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara, AP New reports.

During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after Turkey purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.

The president, in a brief exchange with reporters as he bid farewell to Erdogan, called it a “good meeting” but did not offer further details. Trump later called the meeting “very conclusive on so many different things” and said announcements from both countries about the discussions would be coming out later.

Erdogan’s first trip to the White House since 2019

It was Erdogan’s first trip to the White House since 2019. The two leaders forged what Trump has described as a “very good relationship” during his first White House term.

Over the years, U.S. officials have cited concerns about Turkey’s human rights record under Erdogan and the country’s ties with Russia. Tensions between Turkey and Israel, another important American ally, over Gaza and Syria have made relations difficult with Turkey at times.

Trump, in remarks before reporters, focused his concerns on Turkey’s continued economic relationship with Russia. Turkey has been one of the biggest buyers of Russian fossil fuel since the European Union announced in early 2023 it would boycott most Russian seaborne oil.

Since January 2023, Ankara has purchased more than $90 billion in Russian oil, coal and natural gas. Only China and India have bought more from Russia in that period.

After their meeting, the U.S. president said he believed that Erdogan would stop buying oil from Russia — not that Turkey’s leader had directly committed to doing so during their discussion.

Trump added that Erdogan is respected by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I think he could have a big influence if he wants to,” Trump said.

Past reluctance to engage with Turkey

Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration kept Erdogan, who has served as president since 2014 and was prime minister for more than a decade before that, at an arm’s length during Biden’s four years in office.

The reluctance to engage deeply was borne out of Turkey’s record of democratic backsliding as well as Ankara’s close ties to Moscow.

Trump sees Erdogan as a critical partner and credible intermediary in his effort to find ends to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Republican’s administration is also largely in sync with Turkey’s approach to Syria as both nations piece together their posture toward the once isolated country after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December.

Erdogan sees a key role for Turkey

Erdogan has sought to position his country as a point of stability in a tumultuous moment. He believes Turkey can play an essential role for European security and is able to span geopolitical divisions over Ukraine and Syria as well as U.S. tariffs, which have sparked a global trade war.

Turkey also believes it has emerged as a credible broker in the Black Sea region, preserving relations with both Ukraine and Russia.

Turkey is influential in neighboring Syria. The rebel groups it supported during the civil war took power in December. But the fall of Assad aggravated tense relations between Turkey and Israel.

Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be “reasonable” in his dealings with Ankara.

Erdogan took part in a group meeting hosted by Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, when Trump gathered the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries to discuss the war in Gaza.

Erdogan has been critical of Israel’s handling of the war, which was launched after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and takin about 250 people captive. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and about 90% of homes in the territory have been destroyed or damaged.

Erdogan, in his U.N. address, alleged that Israeli forces have committed genocide.

The bipartisan Hellenic Caucus in the US Congress warned against

Alongside India and China, Turkey is among Moscow's biggest customers for oil and gas exports, and data shows that the volume of Russian gas that reached Europe through Turkey rose by more than 26% earlier this year, Reuters reminds.

The US president's comments come just weeks after he said he stood poised to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if NATO countries met conditions that included halting imports of Russian oil.

Earlier, the bipartisan Hellenic Caucus in the US Congress warned against allowing Turkey to buy F-35s, citing its military co-operation with Russia and a "disregard for international norms and democratic principles".

In the Oval Office, however, Trump told Erdogan that he would "be successful" with buying the things he would "like to buy".

The meeting between Trump and Erdogan is their second this week, following a brief discussion they had about Gaza at the UN General Assembly, alongside leaders from several Arab and Muslim nations.

In his interview with Fox, Erdogan also accused US ally Israel of committing a "complete genocide" in Gaza and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - a position starkly different from Trump's.

In the Oval Office, however, the US and Turkish presidents avoided public disagreement on the issue.

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