President Donald Trump meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House, urging Ankara to halt Russian oil imports. Image: The National Herald.
(The Post News) – United States President Donald Trump urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday to halt Ankara’s multibillion-dollar acquisitions of Russian oil, suggesting the United States could reward Turkey with advanced fighter jets and the lifting of sanctions if it complies.
During Erdogan’s first Washington visit in six years, Trump praised the Turkish president as a “very tough man” who is “highly respected” by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But the U.S. president called on Ankara to take a side in the conflict.
“I would like to see him cease purchasing any oil from Russia as long as Russia is on this rampage through Ukraine,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office.
Oil Purchases in the Spotlight
Turkey has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India since 2023, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The trade has been the subject of harsh criticism in Washington as Trump tightens secondary sanctions aimed at starving Moscow of funds for its war in Ukraine. “Turkey can buy oil from many other people,” Trump said confidently, suggesting Erdogan would eventually come around.
Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades, is eager for the U.S. to lift sanctions on Turkey’s defense sector and restore Ankara’s access to the F-35 fighter jet program. Washington expelled Turkey in 2019 after it purchased Russia’s S-400 air defense system, raising concerns about military intelligence leaks to Moscow.
Trump hinted that a deal could soon be on the table. “I think he’ll be successful in buying the items that he wants to purchase,” Trump said, meaning the F-35s and other U.S. weapons systems. The U.S. president also suggested that sanctions could be lifted “very soon,” possibly “almost immediately” if the talks were fruitful.
Syria and Gaza on the Agenda
Apart from oil and arms, the two leaders discussed Syria, where Trump praised Erdogan for helping to bring about the ousting of the previous president, Bashar al-Assad, in December. “I think President Erdogan is to be thanked for the success in getting rid of Syria’s former leader,” Trump said, with U.S. sanctions relief to Damascus to come next.
On Gaza, Trump described negotiations as “close to a deal” and hostage releases as a precondition for any ceasefire. Erdogan, who has accused Israel of conducting “genocide” in the enclave, was firmer but signaled he trusted Trump’s peace efforts.
Erdogan’s trip marks a reset in U.S.-Turkey ties after four years of frost under President Joe Biden’s administration, during which he has kept Ankara at arm’s length over human rights concerns and its proximity to Moscow. Trump now views Erdogan as a valuable mediator to assist in ending wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and Erdogan is attempting to leverage his personal rapport with the U.S. president to achieve military and economic concessions.
As Trump concluded the meeting, he summarized its significance: “He needs certain things, and we need certain things, and we’re going to come to a conclusion. You’ll know by the end of the day.”
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