United States President Donald Trump has hosted his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the White House for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n
In a brief Oval Office news conference on Thursday, the two leaders gave reporters a preview of the issues they would discuss behind closed doors, including the sale of military equipment, trade and global conflicts.<\/p>\n
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\u201c\u200aHe\u2019s a highly respected man. He\u2019s respected very much in his country and all throughout Europe and throughout the world where they know him,\u201d Trump said, gesturing to Erdogan. \u201cIt\u2019s an honour to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Trump has maintained friendly relations with Erdogan during his second term, the ties between their two countries have faced strain in recent years, particularly as a result of Turkiye\u2019s continued trade with Russia.<\/p>\n
Still, both leaders sought to cast their relationship in a positive light at Thursday\u2019s meeting, which was followed by a joint lunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a very good relationship for a long time,\u201d Trump said, adding, \u201c\u200aThis is a tough man. This is a guy who\u2019s highly opinionated. Usually, I don\u2019t like opinionated people, but I always like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erdogan, for his part, said that he was \u201cvery pleased\u201d to be returning to the White House and hoped to carry Turkiye-US relations to \u201ca much different level\u201d.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the key issues the pair addressed in their wide-ranging news conference:<\/p>\n
\u2018Close to a deal\u2019 on Gaza<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s Oval Office meeting comes days after both Erdogan and Trump spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, where several world leaders pushed for recognition of Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n
Trump himself met Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the assembly.<\/p>\n
Though few details have emerged about the sideline meeting, Trump officials reportedly presented their proposal to bring Israel\u2019s war on Gaza to an end.<\/p>\n
That war has killed at least 65,502 Palestinians and wounded 167,376 more since its start in October 2023. An independent UN commission earlier this month accused Israel of committing the crime of genocide in the territory.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, when asked about this week\u2019s negotiations, Trump reiterated that he had had \u201ca very great meeting with the representatives of the most powerful countries in the Middle East\u201d. He added that the US was \u201cclose to a deal\u201d to end the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can get that one done,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI hope we can get it done. A lot of people are dying, but we want the hostages back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump stressed that the return of the Israeli captives held in Gaza \u2014 both the living and the bodies of the deceased \u2014 was a necessary condition to achieving a ceasefire.<\/p>\n
The next step, he explained,\u00a0was to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and stress that all parties involved want the war to end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe in the peace efforts Mr Trump is leading,\u201d Erdogan added.<\/p>\n
The Turkish leader had been among the participants in the meeting, along with representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
Trump tells Putin \u2018time to stop\u2019 in Ukraine<\/p>\n
Trump has also repeatedly pledged to end Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022 and has resulted in a slow-grinding war.<\/p>\n
But in short remarks on Thursday addressing the war, Trump briefly needled Erdogan for his country\u2019s continued trade with Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Trump made headlines<\/a> when he posted on social media that he believes Ukraine can win back all of the territory Russia has captured since the invasion began.<\/p>\n It was a sudden about-face for the US president, whose administration has long maintained that Ukraine would have to cede occupied territory in order to achieve peace.<\/p>\n At Thursday\u2019s news conference, Trump also chastised Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing the war in Ukraine, calling it \u201csuch a waste of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aRussia\u2019s spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives \u2014 their lives. And they\u2019ve gained virtually no land,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think it\u2019s time to stop, I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n Trade deals and sanctions<\/p>\n One of the most anticipated elements of Thursday\u2019s meeting was the prospect that the US could resume trading military aircraft with Turkiye.<\/p>\n In 2019, during Trump\u2019s first term as president, the US removed Turkiye from a programme that saw Washington sell sophisticated F-35 fighter jets to allies.<\/p>\n The US expressed fears at the time that Turkiye\u2019s use of Russian technology could result in the collection of US military data.<\/p>\n But on Thursday,\u00a0Trump hinted he may lift sanctions against the sale of such aircraft to Turkiye if his meeting with Erdogan went well.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he wants the F-35, and he\u2019s wanted that,\u201d Trump said of Erdogan. \u201cAnd we\u2019re talking about that very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n The pair also planned to discuss the transfer of F-16 fighter jets. The US had approved the sale<\/a> of the F-16s to Turkiye in January 2024 after the Turkish parliament ratified<\/a>\u00a0Sweden\u2019s NATO membership.<\/p>\n When asked whether he was willing to make a deal to sell F-35s as well, Trump said of Erdogan, \u201cI think he\u2019ll be successful in buying the things that he wants to buy.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also said he could lift sanctions against Turkiye\u2019s defence industries \u201cvery soon\u201d, adding: \u201cIf we have a good meeting, almost immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Major announcement\u2019 coming on Syria<\/p>\n At Thursday\u2019s news conference, Trump took time to praise Erdogan, as well, for his government\u2019s efforts in war-torn Syria.<\/p>\n He also teased that he would make a \u201cmajor announcement\u201d later in the day about Syria, but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n Syria had faced a nearly 14-year-long civil war until last December, when a rebel offensive toppled the government of former President Bashar al-Assad.<\/p>\n