ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and President Donald Trump had made “meaningful progress” on a range of regional and bilateral issues at their first meeting in the White House in six years, where they discussed defence cooperation and trade.
However, a readout of Erdogan’s comments to reporters on his return trip from Washington made no direct reference to Turkey’s purchases of Russian oil or of U.S. fighter jets, which were a central part of Thursday’s talks.
After a cool relationship with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, Ankara has been keen to leverage the friendly personal ties between Erdogan and Trump and to take advantage of a U.S. administration eager to make deals in return for big-ticket arms and trade agreements.
ERDOGAN LEFT WHITE HOUSE TALKS ‘HAPPY’
Erdogan said they had exchanged views on steps to boost trade, including the revision of customs duties to achieve their $100-billion target, and added that he had left “happy” after the meeting.
“It’s certainly impossible to resolve every issue in a single meeting. However, this meeting has led to meaningful progress on many issues,” he said according to a transcript shared by his office on Friday.
Unveiling a long-awaited deal following the meeting, Turkish Airlines said it would order 75 Boeing 787 planes and had completed negotiations for 150 737 MAX planes, subject to engine talks.
Following the talks, Trump said he believed Turkey, a NATO ally, would agree to his request to stop purchasing Russian oil. Turkey has in recent years diversified its energy supply channels, but has also opposed Western sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, saying it needs to balance ties with Moscow and Kyiv.
The Kremlin, commenting on the Trump-Erdogan talks, said on Friday that cooperation between Russia and Turkey was continuing.
While the Turkish transcript did not mention oil, Turkey’s energy minister said the allies signed a strategic civil nuclear cooperation memorandum of understanding.
FATE OF F-35 JETS, SANCTIONS UNCLEAR
Ahead of the meeting, both Erdogan and Trump had highlighted as key agenda points Turkey’s purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets and its desire to overcome U.S. sanctions so it can buy advanced F-35 jets.
Trump also told reporters, both before and after the meeting, that he might lift the sanctions, which Washington imposed in 2020 – during Trump’s first term – over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defences.
The sanctions also ousted Turkey from an F-35 programme in which it was a buyer and manufacturer, prompting Ankara to develop its own fighter jet and seek to procure alternatives such as the Eurofighter Typhoons.
Erdogan’s comments made no mention of the jets or sanctions.
The Turkish leader said he and Trump had held extensive discussions about U.S. ally Israel’s war in Gaza and peace efforts there.
He said they had “reached an understanding” on how to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza and Palestine. Erdogan also said he explained to Trump the need for a two-state solution in the Middle East for regional peace.
Turkey is a vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, calling it a “genocide”, and has urged countries including the U.S. to end their support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israel strongly denies genocide charges.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Gareth Jones)
