 "Trump meets Erdogan at White House, urges Turkey to halt Russian oil purchases amid Ukraine war")
“I’d like to have him (Erdogan) stop buying any oil from Russia, while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,” Trump said during a brief exchange with reporters ahead of his meeting with the Turkish leader at the White House
US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop purchasing oil from Russia, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“I’d like to have him (Erdogan) stop buying any oil from Russia, while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,” The Guardian quoted Trump as saying during a brief exchange with reporters ahead of his meeting with the Turkish leader at the White House.
Trump reiterated that the Russian economy is suffering under the strain of war and described Moscow’s latest offensive as largely ineffective.
“With all of the heavy bombardment over the last two weeks, they’ve gained almost no land. Think of that. They’ve gained almost no land,” he said.
“Russia spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives — and they’ve gained virtually no land,” he added.
The president also expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, “It’s such a waste of human life, and so he ought to stop. Putin ought to stop.”
Despite his criticism of Russia, Trump spoke warmly of his relationship with Erdogan, calling it a long-standing friendship.
“When I was in exile, we were still friends,” Trump said, referring to the four years after his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
He praised Turkey’s military capabilities and highlighted Ankara’s continued interest in purchasing US weapons.
“He’s built a tremendous military,” Trump said of Erdogan.
“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,” said Trump.
When asked whether he and Erdogan are aligned on the Gaza conflict or regional foreign policy, Trump responded, “I don’t know,” but pointed to a recent meeting with Arab leaders, which he described as “successful.”
He also reiterated his demand for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
“We want them all back, we want them back at one time,” said the President.
The comments came ahead of high-stakes talks between Trump and Erdogan, where defence deals, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and regional energy issues are expected to dominate the agenda.
With inputs from agencies
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