Trump Urges Erdogan to Halt Russian Oil Purchases While Discussing F-35 Fighter Jet Program Reinstatement

President Donald Trump meets with Turkey's Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday.

Washington:

During Thursday's White House meeting, President Donald Trump pressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cease purchasing Russian oil amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, while suggesting potential relief from the F-35 fighter jet program ban.

This marked Erdogan's first White House visit since 2019, the same year Turkey was removed from the F-35 program following their acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile defense system.

Trump expressed willingness to discuss "very seriously" resolving the dispute over the advanced aircraft, indicating readiness to lift sanctions against Turkey regarding the Russian missile system contingent upon a successful meeting.

However, Trump emphasized Ukraine as a critical issue, noting Turkey has declined to join international sanctions against Moscow and has instead increased its Russian oil purchases.

"I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage," Trump stated at the beginning of their two-hour Oval Office meeting.

Trump acknowledged Erdogan's respected position with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting the Turkish leader "could have a big influence if he wanted to. Right now he's being very neutral."

"The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia," Trump added.

Turkey currently stands as Russia's fourth-largest trading partner according to Europe's Bruegel Institute, with exchanges valued at $52 billion last year—predominantly fossil fuels and electronics.

Trump, who recently shifted his position to believe Ukraine can win the war, maintains Western allies must cease Russian oil and gas purchases before he imposes additional sanctions on Moscow.

Known for his admiration of authoritarian leaders, Trump has consistently shown fondness for Erdogan despite Turkey's opposition crackdown.

"This is a guy who's highly opinionated. Usually, I don't like opinionated people, but I always like this one, but he's a tough one," Trump remarked to reporters.

Trump also commented that Erdogan "knows about rigged elections better than anybody," while claiming they remained friends during his time out of office due to what he termed a "rigged election."

The F-35 fighter jet program has remained a contentious issue since Trump's first term.

Turkey was expelled from the premier US fighter jet program six years ago over concerns that its Russian S-400 acquisition would provide NATO's primary adversary insight into F-35 capabilities.

The first Trump administration subsequently imposed sanctions on Turkey's defense sector.

"He wants the F-35 and he's wanted that, and we're talking about that very seriously," said Trump, sporting a gold fighter jet badge on his suit lapel, adding that "you'll know about that by the end of the day."

He mentioned Turkey's additional interest in purchasing more of the older F-16 jets.

When questioned about lifting US sanctions, Trump responded: "If we have a good meeting, almost immediately."

The leaders also sought to resolve differences regarding Gaza and Syria, with Erdogan having been a vocal critic of key US ally Israel throughout the Gaza conflict.

"President Trump has tremendous influence. I believe that we could, hand-in-hand, overcome all the bitterness and the problems in the region," Erdogan stated through an interpreter.