ALBAWABA- U.S. President Donald Trump received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday for a high-stakes bilateral summit and joint press conference, the first such visit in four years.
OIC leaders urge Trump to halt Israeli assaults on Gaza, demand ceasefire and rebuilding planThe meeting signaled both a thaw in U.S.-Turkey relations and lingering tensions within NATO as the two leaders sought to align on defense, trade, and regional conflicts.
Trump opened the talks with warm personal praise, calling Erdogan a “great friend and ally” whose leadership had “stabilized the region.”
The Turkish leader, in turn, pressed for a reset in defense cooperation, particularly the revival of Ankara’s role in the F-35 fighter jet program.
U.S. sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) have blocked access to the program since Turkey’s 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 systems.
Trump indicated openness to easing restrictions, hinting at a possible $50 billion package that could include Patriot missile defenses and engines for Turkey’s indigenous aircraft program.
Analysts say such a move would strengthen NATO’s southeastern flank but could spark congressional pushback.
The leaders also confronted sharp policy differences over Gaza.
Erdogan reiterated his view of Hamas as a “resistance movement” against Israeli military actions, while Trump underscored Washington’s designation of the group as a terrorist organization. Still, both emphasized the need to halt the conflict.
Trump touted what he described as an “imminent breakthrough” on a U.S.-brokered 21-point peace plan, which calls for an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, phased hostage releases, and deployment of regional forces, potentially including Turkish troops, for postwar security.
The proposal also includes billions in U.S. reconstruction aid, with Trump urging buy-in from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar. Erdogan welcomed the initiative but pushed for faster implementation to avert what he called a looming humanitarian disaster.
Syria was another focal point. Trump praised Erdogan’s “decisive leadership” in the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad earlier this year, which paved the way for an interim government in Damascus.
Turkey’s deepening involvement in post-Assad Syria, through military bases, refugee repatriation plans, and calls for the lifting of Western sanctions, was highlighted as a central element of Ankara’s regional strategy.
