US President Donald Trump has urged Turkey to stop buying oil from Russia, part of a wider drive to cut off Moscow's energy funding as the war in Ukraine rages on. Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House, Trump said halting those imports would be the best thing his Turkish counterpart could do.
The Oval Office meeting ended without any firm commitments to lift US sanctions on Turkey or to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets, though Trump expressed optimism on both issues. Turkey has for years been prevented from buying US F-35s. In 2019, it was expelled from a programme where it produced parts for the warplane after it acquired air defense systems from Russia.
During a brief question-and-answer session alongside Erdogan in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he would like Turkey to stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues its rampage against Ukraine. The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia, Trump said. If he did that, that would be the best thing.
Trump added that he believes Erdogan is respected both by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meaning that he could have a big influence on the war if he wants to. Alongside India and China, Turkey is among Moscow's biggest customers for oil and gas exports, with data showing that the volume of Russian gas that reached Europe through Turkey rose by more than 26% earlier this year.
The US president's comments come just weeks after he suggested that he stood poised to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if NATO countries met conditions that included halting imports of Russian oil. Earlier this week, during a lengthy speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump also accused NATO allies of funding the war against themselves through their purchases of energy from Moscow.
During Trump's first term in office, the US removed Turkey from the F-35 programme after it purchased S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia, with a US defense bill passed in 2020 including an amendment that hindered Turkey from acquiring F-35s unless the US government could certify that it had given up on the Russian S-400. Some US lawmakers have expressed concerns about the potential sale over Turkey's military actions in Syria and its record of violating Greek airspace.
In the Oval Office, however, Trump assured Erdogan that he would be successful with buying the things he would like to buy, saying, He needs certain things, and we need certain things, and we're going to come to a conclusion.
Erdogan echoed sentiments against the F-35 ban in an interview with Fox News, expressing that he did not find it becoming of a strategic partnership. Trump also indicated that sanctions imposed on Turkey could be lifted very soon if a positive meeting took place. They avoided public disagreements on contentious issues like relations with Israel during their discussions.
The Oval Office meeting ended without any firm commitments to lift US sanctions on Turkey or to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets, though Trump expressed optimism on both issues. Turkey has for years been prevented from buying US F-35s. In 2019, it was expelled from a programme where it produced parts for the warplane after it acquired air defense systems from Russia.
During a brief question-and-answer session alongside Erdogan in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he would like Turkey to stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues its rampage against Ukraine. The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia, Trump said. If he did that, that would be the best thing.
Trump added that he believes Erdogan is respected both by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meaning that he could have a big influence on the war if he wants to. Alongside India and China, Turkey is among Moscow's biggest customers for oil and gas exports, with data showing that the volume of Russian gas that reached Europe through Turkey rose by more than 26% earlier this year.
The US president's comments come just weeks after he suggested that he stood poised to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if NATO countries met conditions that included halting imports of Russian oil. Earlier this week, during a lengthy speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump also accused NATO allies of funding the war against themselves through their purchases of energy from Moscow.
During Trump's first term in office, the US removed Turkey from the F-35 programme after it purchased S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia, with a US defense bill passed in 2020 including an amendment that hindered Turkey from acquiring F-35s unless the US government could certify that it had given up on the Russian S-400. Some US lawmakers have expressed concerns about the potential sale over Turkey's military actions in Syria and its record of violating Greek airspace.
In the Oval Office, however, Trump assured Erdogan that he would be successful with buying the things he would like to buy, saying, He needs certain things, and we need certain things, and we're going to come to a conclusion.
Erdogan echoed sentiments against the F-35 ban in an interview with Fox News, expressing that he did not find it becoming of a strategic partnership. Trump also indicated that sanctions imposed on Turkey could be lifted very soon if a positive meeting took place. They avoided public disagreements on contentious issues like relations with Israel during their discussions.
