Donald Trump says he wants to work with Erdogan to conclude the “absurd war” in Ukraine. The two leaders launched their mutual invitations
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump, at a NATO event in the first term of the US president. Credit: Peter Nicholls / AP / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, had a telephone call on Monday, which they both described as “very productive”. The two leaders also discussed how the Russia's War in Ukraine, the situation in Syria and the conflict in Gaza can be stopped, according to Reuters.
In a post on social networks, Donald Trump said the Turkish leader in Turkey “at a future time” and that Erdogan will also come to Washington, without giving other details. Subsequently, Erdogan confirmed the mutual invitations, by a post on X.
“The telephone call I had today with my friend Donald Trump was very productive, wide and sincere,” wrote the Turkish president.
After a rather transactional relationship during the Biden Adimistration, Ankara hopes for a more friendly relationship with Washington with Trump's return, writes Reuters. This although Trump, as a Republican president, imposed sanctions on Turkey at the end of 2020 for the acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
The US president, who described his relationship with Erdogan as “excellent” in his first term, said that the two countries will collaborate to stop the War in Ukraine.
“I look forward to working with President Erdogan to put an end to this absurd, but deadly war between Russia and Ukraine!” Trump wrote. The Turkish presidency said that Erdogan has greeted US efforts to end the conflict.
None of the parties gave concrete details about the role Ankara could play in this process, which stagnates, despite Trump's promise in the campaign that he would stop the war on the first day of mandate.
During the conversation, Erdogan also emphasized the importance of uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and said that Turkey is ready to support the establishment of an armistice and a sustainable peace, according to the official story of the Turkish part. Also, Erdogan told Trump that Ankara is making efforts to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria and to take into account a relaxation of the sanctions imposed on Damascus.
