Trump hosts Erdogan as White House focuses on Mideast, Russia, F-35 sales
President Donald Trump indicated Thursday that Turkey was likely to be allowed to resume the purchase of advanced F-35 fighter jets, as he hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House amid a fresh push by the U.S. leader to end Israel’s war in Gaza.
Trump has long had a warm relationship with the Turkish leader, whom he has called “very smart,” and Thursday’s Oval Office reception was an opportunity for Washington and Ankara to rekindle relations after a frosty four years under President Joe Biden. The Biden administration kept Erdogan at arm’s length over concerns about the Turkish leader’s crackdown on his political opposition and jailing of journalists, as well as his refusal to join sanctions against Russia after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, actually, even for four years when I was in exile, unfairly, as it turns out, rigged election. You know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” Trump said of Erdogan, speaking alongside him ahead of their meeting in the Oval Office. “This is a tough man. This is a guy who’s highly opinionated. Usually, I don’t like opinionated people, but I always like this one.”
In a friendly encounter, Trump said Erdogan was a valuable ally in the Middle East and on issues involving Russia’s war in Ukraine, where Turkey is seeking to balance the interests of both Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump views Erdogan as an ally and a person who might serve as a valuable go-between in resolving the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The two leaders have also been aligned on Syria, where the Turkish-backed new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to normalize relations with Washington.
“We want to get Gaza over with,” Trump said, two days after he met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly with leaders of Muslim countries that have a stake in the conflict.
“We had a very good meeting with the representatives of the most powerful countries in the Middle East. And I think we’re going to be close to a deal,” Trump said. “I’m going to have to tell Israel, let’s go. We want to get the hostages back. They want, everybody wants to see that war over with, by the way, everybody. So we’re going to see what happens.”
Erdogan, who took part in the meeting earlier this week, offered encouraging words for Trump’s efforts on Thursday, although he has been a sharp critic of Israel’s handling of the war.
“I believe in the peace efforts that President Trump is leading, and together we will be able to overcome the challenges in the region,” he said.
Erdogan’s priority with Trump is to regain access to the Pentagon’s F-35 advanced fighter jet program. Turkey’s clearance to buy the jets was suspended during Trump’s first term because of Ankara’s decision to buy Russia’s S-400 air defense system. The Pentagon feared that Turkey’s use of the Russian surface-to-air missile system could feed sensitive data about the F-35’s capabilities back to the Kremlin.
At the outset of their meeting, Trump held back from a clear commitment to resume F-35 sales, but he suggested that was likely.
“I think you’ll be successful with buying the things you’d like to buy,” Trump said, suggesting an answer would come by the end of the day
Erdogan hasn’t visited the White House since 2019.
In an interview with Fox News this week, the Turkish leader complained of being closed out of the F-35 program. “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.
The Turkish president made no commitment to halting his country’s large-scale purchases of Russian oil, something Trump has complained about.
“The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump said. “If he did that, that would be probably the best thing. He knows Putin like I know Putin.”