Erdogan hails 'meaningful progress' in talks with Trump

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and President Donald Trump had made 'meaningful progress' on a range of regional and bilateral issues at their first meeting in the White House in six years, where they discussed defence cooperation and trade.
However, a readout of Erdogan's comments to reporters on his return trip from Washington made no direct reference to Türkiye's purchases of Russian oil or of US fighter jets, which were a central part of Thursday's talks.
After a cool relationship with Trump's predecessor Joe Biden, Ankara has been keen to leverage the friendly personal ties between Erdogan and Trump and to take advantage of a US administration eager to make deals in return for big-ticket arms and trade agreements.
Erdogan said they had exchanged views on steps to boost trade, including the revision of customs duties to achieve their $100-billion target and added that he had left 'happy' after the meeting.
'It's certainly impossible to resolve every issue in a single meeting. However, this meeting has led to meaningful progress on many issues', he said according to a transcript shared by his office on Friday.
Unveiling a long-awaited deal following the meeting, Turkish Airlines said it would order 75 Boeing 787 planes and had completed negotiations for 150 737 MAX planes, subject to engine talks.
Following the talks, Trump said he believed Türkiye, a Nato ally, would agree to his request to stop purchasing Russian oil. Türkiye has in recent years diversified its energy supply channels, but has also opposed Western sanctions against Russia over its full-scale war in Ukraine, saying it needs to balance ties with Moscow and Kyiv.
The Kremlin, commenting on the Trump-Erdogan talks, said on Friday that cooperation between Russia and Türkiye was continuing. While the Turkish transcript did not mention oil, Türkiye's energy minister said the allies signed a strategic civil nuclear cooperation memorandum of understanding.
Ahead of the meeting, both Erdogan and Trump had highlighted as key agenda points Türkiye's purchase of Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter jets and its desire to overcome US sanctions so it can buy advanced F-35 jets.
Trump also told reporters, both before and after the meeting, that he might lift the sanctions, which Washington imposed in 2020 — during Trump's first term — over Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defences. — Reuters