Erdoğan, Trump begin talks in Ankara amid focus on Türkiye-US ties

Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump have begun at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber reports.

Trump arrived in Ankara to attend the NATO summit, where he was personally welcomed by Erdoğan at the airport. The two leaders also held brief talks there before moving to their official meeting.

According to Turkish media reports, the agenda of the Erdoğan-Trump talks includes the settlement of the Ukraine conflict and the possible resumption of negotiations hosted by Türkiye, defense industry cooperation, including a $700 million deal to supply engines for Türkiye’s Kaan fighter jet, the lifting of restrictions under the US Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and Ankara’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet program.

The leaders are also expected to discuss economic cooperation, including plans to increase bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion.

Following the bilateral meeting in Beştepe, Trump is set to join NATO leaders at an official dinner marking the opening of the alliance’s summit.

Trump said that under Erdoğan, Türkiye had become a very powerful country militarily, adding that Türkiye had a large amount of military equipment and many great soldiers. He also noted that the US administration would consider supplying F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, adding that such a move would strengthen bilateral relations.

The American leader further stressed that he would remove the CAATSA sanctions imposed on Türkiye.

CAATSA, or the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, is a US federal law adopted in 2017 that introduced sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The legislation was also used to impose measures against other countries, including Türkiye, over the purchase of Russian-made weapons systems.

By Jeyhun Aghazada