Trump signals possible lifting of sanctions on Turkey in talks with Erdogan, presses Ankara to halt Russian oil purchases
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday (Sep 25) that the United States could lift sanctions on Turkey and allow it to buy F-35 fighter jets, but pressed Ankara to end its purchases of Russian oil during talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan’s first White House visit in six years began with a warm welcome from Trump, who praised him as a “very tough man” and said the two remained “friends”. The meeting underscored Ankara’s hopes of leveraging a closer personal relationship to advance trade and defence deals.
“I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,” Trump told reporters. Asked about the F-35s, he said: “I think he’ll be successful in buying the things that he wants to buy.”
Trump also signalled that sanctions on Turkey could be lifted “very soon” if the meeting went well.
SHIFT FROM BIDEN ERA
Turkey’s ties with Washington cooled under Joe Biden, who had kept Erdogan at arm’s length over Ankara’s close links to Moscow. Since Trump’s return, both leaders have aligned on Syria, though they remain at odds over Israel’s actions in Gaza, which Turkey calls genocide.
Ankara hopes the shift in tone will ease sanctions imposed in 2020 over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defences, which barred it from the F-35 programme. Erdogan said defence cooperation, including talks over 40 F-16s, was a priority alongside energy and trade.
DEFENCE AND RELIGIOUS ISSUES
Turkey, NATO’s second-largest army, is seeking to strengthen air power against regional threats. Erdogan also said he was ready to help reopen an Orthodox Christian seminary near Istanbul that has been closed since 1971, a longstanding demand from Greece and the EU.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, met Trump earlier this month and expressed hope the seminary could reopen to students next year.
BOEING DEALS, RUSSIAN OIL PRESSURE
US officials said Boeing aircraft sales were among the trade deals under discussion. But Trump tied closer economic ties to Ankara’s willingness to stop buying Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Erdogan did not commit publicly, but said his government wanted to deepen cooperation with Washington.
