Türkiye-US ties enter new era after Trump meeting: Erdoğan
ANKARA
This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Presidency Press Office on June 24, 2025, shows President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague.
Relations between Türkiye and the United States are entering a new era after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in The Hague, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, expressing his hope to see advance in technical talks for the former’s return to the F-35 joint fighter jet program.
Erdoğan spoke to the journalists traveling with him to the Netherlands where he attended a NATO leaders summit on June 24 and 25. On the sidelines of the summit, Erdoğan held his first face-to-face meeting with Trump since the U.S. president was inaugurated on Jan. 20.
“We had a fruitful meeting with my friend Trump. We have discussed a wide range of with him from bilateral ties to NATO partnership from regional to global developments,” Erdoğan said.
“With my friend Trump, we are slightly opening the door of a new era in the Turkish-American relations,” the president noted, informing that the U.S. president returns to his phone calls less than 24 hours.
Türkiye and the U.S. have a joint objective to increase the volume of the bilateral trade to $100 billion, Erdoğan said, expressing both sides’ willingness to accomplish this target. On the bilateral front, an issue Türkiye has long been asking the U.S. to lift the sanctions stemming from its deployment of the Russian S-400 air defense systems and return to the F-35 program.
“We have not given up on the F-35s either. We are currently in discussions with our counterparts regarding our desire to re-join the project,” Erdoğan said, stressing that he discussed the matter with Trump. “Meetings at the technical level have begun. We hope we’ll make progress.”
Erdoğan raised the situation in Gaza
Regional conflicts and efforts to deescalate them for reaching a permanent peace in Gaza and Ukraine were also on the agenda, Erdoğan said.
“Citing his efforts for reaching ceasefire between Israel and Iran, I have expressed our expectation from him to show the same effort in ending the conflicts in Gaza and in the Russian-Ukrainian war. I have emphasized the importance of giving an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” he noted.
“This atrocity may no longer endure. Nobody will feel safe until the bloodshed in Gaza stops,” Erdoğan underlined, informing that Trump approached positively to Türkiye’s proposal for resolving the problem between Palestine and Israel.
“We may reach to a fair and lasting solution if we embrace a perspective for resolving the matter. Let’s just keep dialogue channels open. Our region can no longer tolerate new tensions and conflicts,” he said.
Erdoğan conveys messages on Syria
In the regional context, the two men did also raise the developments in Syria after Trump lifted sanctions on this country.
“We are conveying our sensitivities on Syria, especially on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to the American at every level. The Turkish-American ties have always had strategic importance despite conjunctural differences. Constructive contacts with Mr. Trump have helped to create bridges of understanding on some difficult issues,” Erdoğan told journalists.
The protection of territorial integrity and political unity of Syria is of utmost importance to Türkiye, Erdoğan said, recalling an agreement between the SDF and Damascus for the former’s integration with the national army.
“The right thing to do for the SDF is to use this opportunity,” the president said, informing that he discussed the same issue with French President Emmanuel Macron as well.
“Mr. Macron has emphasized that he will undertake a more active role on these issues in Syria. We have discussed what we can do together on this issue. We even raised Cyprus. He also told that he will talk to Israel on Gaza. We told him that we would be grateful if he would do this,” Erdoğan explained.
Europe should lift restrictions on defense industry
Erdoğan recalled that the NATO allies have agreed to increase their defense expenditures from two to five percent of their respective GDPs, stressing that Türkiye is one of the countries that is closest in reaching this objective.
“But for doing this, lifting restrictions among the allies is of crucial importance. Likewise, the participation of non-EU allies to the defense and security initiatives must be assured,” he stated.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan said Türkiye is working to secure the third round of direct talks between the two warring sides but underlining that the essential thing to do is to bring the two countries’ leaders together around the same table.
The Turkish president also noted that Trump has confirmed that he will be present in Istanbul and Ankara should Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to come to Türkiye for making peace with Ukraine.
