US President Donald Trump met today (Thursday) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House.
During the meeting, President Trump remarked: "I had a great meeting with [Middle East] leaders... at UNGA — and I think we're close to getting some kind of a deal done. We want to get the hostages back. I have to get the hostages back."
When asked if he and Erdogan were on the same page on the war in Gaza, Trump responded: "Well I don't know his stance, I can't tell you about that."
Erdogan hopes to convince the US Administration to reverse its earlier decision not to sell Turkey advanced F-35 fighter craft, a decision that was made in response to Turkey's purchase of Russian air-defense systems against America's wishes. He also hopes that he can convince Trump to lift sanctions and tariffs that have been imposed on Turkey.
Trump, for his part, stated that he wants Erdogan to stop buying oil from Russia as long as Russia's war against Ukraine continues.
"I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues his rampage against Ukraine," Trump stated.