‘Reached understanding’ with Trump for ceasefire in Gaza: Erdogan after White House talks

A day after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at White House, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that he and President Trump have “reached an understanding” on steps toward securing a ceasefire and establishing lasting peace in Gaza and Palestine.

“Our meeting was very important in terms of putting forth the will to end the massacres in Gaza. Mr Trump stated during the meeting the need to end fighting in Gaza and reach lasting peace,” Erdogan told reporters, according to a transcript released by his office on Friday.

“We explained how a ceasefire can be achieved in Gaza and the whole of Palestine, and lasting peace afterwards. An understanding was reached there,” he added.

“We said that the two-state solution was the formula for lasting peace in the region, that the current situation cannot continue,” he said.

Erdogan also said he and Trump made “meaningful progress” on several regional and bilateral issues, with discussions covering defence cooperation and trade.

Following Thursday’s talks, President Trump told reporters he believed Nato ally Turkey would agree to halt its purchases of Russian oil, and indicated he might lift US sanctions on Ankara, potentially allowing Turkey to acquire advanced American F-35 fighter jets.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight from Washington, Erdogan said the two leaders had exchanged views on ways to expand trade, including revising customs duties, as part of efforts to reach their shared goal of $100 billion in bilateral trade volume.

“It’s certainly impossible to resolve every issue in a single meeting. However, this meeting has led to meaningful progress on many issues,” Erdogan said, according to a transcript released by his office on Friday.

Erdogan added that he left the meeting with Trump feeling “happy”.

The transcript did not specifically mention US sanctions or Turkey’s imports of Russian oil.

With inputs from agencies