WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the White House on Thursday for the first time since the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2020 for purchasing an air defense system from Russia. Now, President Erdoğan is hoping to negotiate a deal with the Trump administration to end the sanctions and purchase F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.
Under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Trump’s 2020 sanctions on Turkey remain in place, preventing Turkey from purchasing F-35 and F-16 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.
Trump said on Thursday that those sanctions against Turkey could be lifted “almost immediately” if the meeting went well.
Separately, after the meeting, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack announced a deal that allows Turkish Airlines to purchase up to 300 Boeing aircraft.
Trump reflected on his relationship with Erdoğan at the beginning of the meeting.
“This is a tough man. This is a guy who is highly opinionated,” Trump said. “Usually I don’t like opinionated people, but I always like this one.”
Erdoğan expressed hope that Trump will help bring peace to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
“Together we will be able to overcome the challenges in the region,” Erdoğan said.
Trump said he thinks Turkey’s role is significant in ending the war in Ukraine. However, the president emphasized “the best thing” Turkey could do is stop purchasing oil and gas from Russia.
“He’s got tremendous influence in the region,” Trump said.
Since the Alaska summit with President Vladimir Putin just over a month ago, Trump appears to have soured on the Russian president, admitting he is “very disappointed in Putin” regarding his continued aggression in Ukraine.
“It’s such a waste of human life,” Trump said. “Putin ought to stop.”
The Israel-Gaza war was also discussed during Thursday’s meeting. On Tuesday, Erdoğan was present during a meeting in New York between Trump and eight leaders of Arab and Muslim-majority countries, where Trump laid out a 21-point postwar plan to end the war.
“I have to meet with Israel. They know what I want,” Trump said on Thursday. “I think we can get that one done.”
Turkey has been firm in its criticism of Israel. In late August, the country announced that it would close its airspace to Israeli planes and end trade between Israel and other countries seeking to use Turkey’s ports.
Despite continued support for Israel from the Trump administration, Trump and Erdoğan appeared friendly towards each other Thursday, signaling continued cooperation between the two leaders.
“I have great respect for this man, and we’ve had a very good relationship for a long time,” Trump said.
