Trump Hosts Erdogan as the US Considers Lifting a Ban on F-35 Sales to NATO Ally

“I don’t want to say that” Erdogan agreed to stop the purchases, “but if I want him to, he will,” Trump said.

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and Trump’s envoy to Syria, said the presidents discussed all the major issues in the US-Turkey relationship, including Russia and the F-35 program, “with paths forward.”

Asked if Turkey is amenable to cutting off its substantial oil purchases from Russia, Barrack replied, “You have to ask them.”

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

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

The push on Erdogan to become more engaged in pressuring Putin comes after Trump earlier this week said he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia in the war. It was a dramatic shift from Trump’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

Erdogan has made clear he is eager to see the hold on F-35s lifted, telling Trump that he came prepared to “thoroughly discuss” the issue.

The Turkish president was even blunter in a television interview this week. “I don’t think it’s very becoming of strategic partnership, and I don’t think it’s the right way to go,” Erdogan said in an interview this week on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

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.

Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression during his more than two decades in power. International observers say that baseless investigations and prosecutions of human rights activists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remain a persistent problem in Turkey.

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.

Trump and European leaders have followed Erdogan in embracing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who once commanded a rebel group that was designated a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump also said that Erdogan deserves credit for backing the rebel forces that ousted Assad from Syria.

“I think President Erdogan is the one responsible for Syria, for the successful fight in ridding Syria of its past leader,” Trump said. “He doesn’t take the responsibility, but it’s actually a great achievement.”

Trump’s chief diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met with al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

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 US 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 on Tuesday 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 October 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 percent of homes in the territory have been destroyed or damaged.

Erdogan, in his U.N. address, alleged that Israeli forces have committed genocide, an allegation contested by Israel and United States.