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Donald Trump urged Recep Tayyip Erdogan to halt Russian oil purchases as the leaders discussed defence deals including F-16s and F-35s.
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Image Credit: Reuters)
US President Donald Trump pressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying oil from Russia, arguing that cutting Moscow’s energy revenues was key to ending the war in Ukraine.
“I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage,” Donald Trump said, during an Oval Office appearance with Erdogan. The two leaders met for talks covering defence ties, regional security and the war in Ukraine. Donald Trump described Erdogan as a long-standing friend and praised his leadership.
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“When I was in exile, we were still friends,” Donald Trump said, in a reference to the four years following his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Defence Deals On Table
Donald Trump lauded Turkey’s military, saying Erdogan had “built a tremendous military” and confirmed Ankara was seeking additional US-made defence equipment. The US President said, “They want to buy F-16s, F-35s and some other things, and we’re going to talk to them about that. We’re just going to have, I think, a very interesting couple of hours.”
Erdogan’s earlier decision to buy and later deploy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in 2017 continues to complicate defence ties with Washington. The move triggered US sanctions on Turkey in 2020 and Ankara has been unable to procure American-made F-35 fighter jets since it was expelled from the programme in 2019.
The US President also repeated his view that the Russian economy is under severe strain from the war in Ukraine but stressed that energy sales were still a lifeline for Moscow.
“It’s such a waste of human life, and so he ought to stop. Putin ought to stop,” Donald Trump said. The call for Turkey to scale back purchases of Russian oil comes as Washington continues to push allies and partners to tighten pressure on Moscow through sanctions and energy restrictions.
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 25, 2025, 21:49 IST
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