WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has berated and belittled many of his European counterparts who are expected to attend NATO summit next week in Turkey. But welcoming Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn his close ties to the US leader to ensure his presence at the Ankara event – an appearance that could also come with a significant Turkish defense gift.
Trump has often praised Erdogan, calling him a “hell of a leader” and a good friend. “I wouldn’t have gone for most people,” Trump said last week. “But he called me. He said: “Please, I have it in Turkey. You have to be there. The United States should be there.” So I’m leaving out of respect for President Erdogan.”
Using this respect has helped Erdogan avoid clutter that Trump’s absence would strain the alliance, especially at a time when the Republican president has consistently been threatening to withdraw US forces from Europe and reduce America’s role in NATOdisturbing ally. Trump has long chided other NATO countries for their defense spending, and he claimed last year’s promise to raise it collectively as a great personal victory. Recently, he has clashed with alliance members for failing to support his war against Iran.
But Trump sweetened the deal for Erdogan by also hinting that he might make news during his visit about jet engines and possible sale of F-35 fighter jets banned for years because of Turkey’s proximity to Moscow.
of Trump affinity for strong leaders has long made him an admirer of Erdogan, who amassed power in Turkey first as its prime minister and now in his 13th year as president.
“His relationship with Erdogan, which is quite strong, is consistent with what appears to be a pattern of his preference,” said Philip Gordon, who served as national security adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris. “It has often been noted that he seems to be on better terms with opponents and autocrats, and he certainly says nicer things about them than he does about allies.”
Gordon, now at the Brookings Institution, added, “Erdogan is taking full advantage of this.”
Erdogan opposed Biden, but bets on Trump
Trump, who is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, will be the first US president to visit Turkey since Democrat Barack Obama in 2015. In contrast, Democratic President Joe Biden took Erdogan to task over Turkey’s democratic slide and close ties with Russia.
Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of undermining democracy and inhibition freedom of expression. They say that groundless investigations and prosecutions of human rights activists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remain an ongoing problem in Turkey.
Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute said Erdogan and Trump “clicked” personally during Trump’s first term. When Biden extended an invitation to Erdogan in 2024 to visit the US next Turkey approved the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATOErdogan decided not to go.
“This was Erdogan’s way of signaling to Trump, ‘Hey, you’re probably going to win the election,'” Cagaptay said. “I think Trump saw it as a giant gesture.”
Trump signals steps towards the sale of aircraft to Turkey
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Last week, a reporter asked Trump if he was taking “a big gift bag for Erdogan” on the trip, noting that Ankara wants F-110 jet engines and F-35 fighter jets.
“Yes, I think so,” Trump replied. “Yeah, maybe I’ll do something that will make him very happy.” Trump had also suggested September that the US may soon start selling F-35s to Turkey.
Turkey was excluded from the program in 2019after purchasing Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. US officials fear that Turkey’s use of the Russian system could enable Moscow to gather information on the F-35’s capabilities.
In the Oval Office meeting, Vice President JD Vance said Washington was exploring ways to sell the jets to Turkey, stressing that any sale would ensure Turkey complied with US law. There is significant bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill, including from influential Republicans such as Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to selling F-35s to Turkey as long as Ankara has Russian missile defense systems.
In the meantime, F-110 jet engines that Turkey is looking to buy would power its domestically produced KAAN fighter jets. The State Department last week took a step toward making those sales happen, sending key lawmakers a notice that it planned to override congressional opposition to more than $700 million in jet engine sales to Ankara, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a nonpublic notice.
“In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision,” New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement last week. “He called no emergency authorities, provided no written justification, and for months refused to make a good faith effort to brief me on the implications of the sale for US-Turkey relations, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns.”
Relations between the US and Turkey are thawing in other ways as well. Earlier this year, Trump’s Justice Department dropped a major case against Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank, which had been accused of helping Iran evade US sanctions.
Erdogan praises Trump’s friendship and phone calls
When he returned to the White House for his second term, Trump appointed a close friend as ambassador to Turkey: Tom Barrack, a longtime ally who also served as chairman of his inaugural committee. “Kazerma is playing a crucial role as a facilitator in relations,” said Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s TED University.
Erdogan and Trump have held frequent phone calls to discuss Syria, Gaza and the wider Middle East, and Turkey joined Trump. Peace Board in order to supervise the cease-fire in Gaza. Trump claimed this month that he asked Erdogan to stay out of the Iran war and that the Turkish leader agreed, although there is no indication that Turkey ever intended to get involved.
Trump expressed admiration for Erdogan though standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference last year. Netanyahu, whose government is at loggerheads with Ankara, had hoped to win Trump’s support to roll back Turkish influence in Syria, but instead found himself watching as Trump praised Erdogan and urged Netanyahu to be “sensible.”
Last year, after the meeting with Trump in NATO Summit in The HagueErdogan told reporters that the US president is quick to return his calls, an anecdote that illustrates their close ties.
“With my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new era in Turkish-American relations,” Erdogan said. “The phone diplomacy process between us has never gone beyond 24 hours so far. When we call, the other side answers within 24 hours.”
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By SEUNG MIN KIM and SUZAN FRASER in Ankara, The Associated Press
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