Washington D.C. – Former President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep tayyip Erdoğan met in Washington D.C. on Thursday, yielding potential shifts in U.S.-Turkiye relations regarding military trade, NATO alignment, and Syria policy. Here are four key takeaways from the meeting:
1.Reassessing Military trade Restrictions: Trump signaled a potential reversal of restrictions on military aircraft sales to Turkiye. In 2019, the U.S. removed Turkiye from the program to purchase F-35 fighter jets due to concerns over Ankara’s use of Russian technology and potential compromise of U.S. military data. Trump stated he was ”talking about” lifting sanctions on F-35 sales “very seriously” and suggested erdoğan “will be successful in buying the things that he wants to buy.” The U.S. already approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye in January 2024, following Turkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership.
2. Potential lifting of Defense Industry Sanctions: Trump indicated he could lift sanctions against Turkiye’s defense industries “very soon,” potentially “almost immediately” following a positive meeting outcome.
3. Trump credits Erdoğan’s Role in Syria: Trump praised Erdoğan’s role in Syria, claiming he was “responsible for Syria, for the successful fight in ridding Syria of its past leader,” referring to former President Bashar al-Assad. He also highlighted that his administration had begun lifting sanctions against Syria in December, following al-Assad’s removal, attributing this to Erdoğan’s efforts and stating he “took sanctions off in order to let them breathe, as those sanctions were very strong.”
4. Ukraine Conflict Discussion & Criticism: Trump criticized the ongoing support for ukraine, stating, “Millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives – their lives. And they’ve gained virtually no land.” He expressed his belief that “it’s time to stop, I really do.”
