President Donald Trump and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met at the White House on Thursday afternoon only days after both leaders spoke before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Erdoğan arrived in a damp Washington, D.C. with hopes of gaining traction on issues pertaining to energy, defense, and aviation deals after years of tense relations with President Biden.
Trump called Erdoğan “a tough man” and left the door open for Ankara to obtain F-35 and F-16 jets. “We need certain things and he needs certain things,” Trump said. Among those things was a stated desire for Erdoğan to cease his purchases of oil from the Russians who the 47th president accused of continuing a “rampage against Ukraine.”
Trump credited Erdoğan with building one of the world’s strongest militaries and helping rid Syria of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, despite the Turkish leader’s reluctance to take responsibility.
During his speech before the UN on Tuesday, Erdoğan held pictures from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and demanded world leaders help end the suffering. With Erdoğan listening on Thursday, Trump told reporters that the White House is “close to a deal in Gaza.”
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