Trump urges Turkey to stop buying Russian oil as Erdogan chases deal on F-35s

US President Donald Trump has urged Turkey to stop buying oil from Russia, part of a wider drive to cut off Moscow’s energy funding as the war in Ukraine rages on.

Speaking alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House, Trump said halting those imports would be “the best thing” his Turkish counterpart could do.

The Oval Office meeting ended without any firm commitments to lift US sanctions on Turkey or sell advanced F-35 fighter jets, although Trump expressed optimism about both issues.

Turkey has for years been prevented from buying US F-35s. In 2019 it was expelled from a programme where it produced parts for the warplane after it acquired air defence systems from Russia.

During a brief question-and-answer session alongside Erdogan in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he would like Turkey to stop “buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues its rampage against Ukraine”.

“The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump said. “If he did that, that would be the best thing.”

Trump added that he believes Erdogan is respected both by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meaning that he could “have a big influence” on the war “if he wants to”.

Alongside India and China, Turkey is among Moscow’s biggest customers for oil and gas exports, and data shows that the volume of Russian gas that reached Europe through Turkey rose by over 26% earlier this year.

The US president’s comments come just weeks after he said he stood poised to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if Nato countries met conditions that included halting imports of Russian oil.

Earlier this week – during a lengthy speech at the UN General Assembly – Trump also accused Nato allies of “funding the war against themselves” through their purchases of energy from Moscow.

During Trump’s first term in office, the US removed Turkey from the F-35 programme after it purchased S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia.

A US defence bill passed in 2020 included an amendment that prevented Turkey from acquiring F-35s, unless – and only if – the US government is able to certify that it has given up on the Russian S-400.

Some US lawmakers have expressed concerns about the potential sale over Turkish military incursions into Syria and past violations of Greek airspace.

Earlier this week, the bipartisan Hellenic Caucus in the US Congress warned against allowing Turkey to buy F-35s, citing its military co-operation with Russia and a “disregard for international norms and democratic principles”.

In the Oval Office, however, Trump told Erdogan that he would “be successful” with buying the things he would “like to buy”.

“He needs certain things, and we need certain things,” he said. “And we’re going to come to a conclusion. You’ll know by the end of the day.”

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Erdogan said of the F-35 ban: “I don’t think it is very becoming of a strategic partnership.”

Trump also said that sanctions against Turkey – implemented in 2020 following the S-400 purchase – could be lifted “very soon”.

“If we have a good meeting, almost immediately”, he added.

The meeting between Trump and Erdogan is their second this week, following a brief discussion they had about Gaza at the UN General Assembly, alongside leaders from several Arab and Muslim nations.

In his interview with Fox, Erdogan also accused US ally Israel of committing a “complete genocide” in Gaza and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – a position starkly different from Trump’s public remarks.

In the Oval Office on Thursday, however, the US and Turkish presidents avoided public disagreement on the issue. Israel denies it is committing genocide in Gaza.

/www.bbc.com