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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine, as Erdogan sought a long-awaited deal to buy US stealth fighter jets.
As Erdogan visited the White House for the first time since 2019 during Trump’s first term, Trump called on him to use his influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow’s invasion.
Trump said that he would discuss Ankara’s wish to buy high-tech F-35 aircraft and was ready to end sanctions on Turkiye over its purchase of Russian air defence missiles.
Nato ally Turkiye was booted out of the flagship US fighter jet programme during Trump’s first term after it defiantly bought Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
“I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage,” Trump told reporters alongside Erdogan in the Oval Office. Trump said Erdogan was “very respected” by both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “could have a big influence if he wanted to.
Right now he’s being very neutral.” “The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump added.
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025
