WASHINGTON DC – Hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday, US President Donald Trump publicly pressured the NATO ally to halt its purchases of Russian oil, stating the measure was crucial to ending Moscow’s “rampage” in Ukraine.
In a candid Oval Office session with reporters, Trump offered a mixture of criticism for Russia’s war and warm personal praise for his counterpart.
“I’d like to have him [Erdogan] stop buying any oil from Russia, while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,” Trump said, doubling down on his insistence that countries cut off funding to Moscow’s war effort.
Pressure on Putin, optimism on jets
Trump framed Erdogan as uniquely positioned to influence the outcome, saying the Turkish leader is “very respected by both [Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky]” and “could have a big influence if he wanted to.”
Trump was explicit about the best course of action: “The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia. If he did that, that would be probably the best thing.”
The US President was equally blunt about the human cost, declaring that the war was “such a waste of human life, and so he ought to stop - Putin ought to stop,” adding that the ongoing slaughter was “a shame.”
The conversation quickly moved to military matters, where Trump was far more accommodating to Erdogan’s demands.
Despite Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, which led to its exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program, Trump was optimistic about a resolution.
The leaders were set to discuss the Patriot defense system, F-16s, and F-35s. “I think he’ll be successful with buying the things he’d like to buy,” Trump said, suggesting related US sanctions could be lifted “almost immediately” if the meeting progressed well.
Russian offensive called costly and futile
The shift in tone regarding US-Turkey defense ties was starkly contrasted by Trump’s harsh assessment of Russia’s recent military failures in Ukraine. He painted the offensive as a bloody and futile endeavor.“
With all of the heavy bombardment over the last two weeks, they’ve gained almost no land. Think of that. They’ve gained almost no land,” Trump observed.
He further skewered the enormous cost for minimal results: “I’m not going to ever call anybody a ‘paper tiger’, but Russia spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives, their lives, and they’ve gained virtually no land.”
Ukraine advocate lauds “wider net of pressure”
The move to pressure a key NATO ally like Turkey was welcomed by some advocates for Ukraine, even as they pointed to greater enablers of the Kremlin.
Doug Klain, from Razom, a US-based organization that advocates for Ukrainian interests, told Kyiv Post that Trump was “right to push for countries to stop funding Putin’s war machine by buying Russian oil.”
He noted that while countries like Hungary and Slovakia often draw attention, “Turkey is the elephant in the room and a major NATO member buying Russian energy.”
Klain concluded that “to Trump’s credit, this shows he’s casting a wider net of pressure on other countries to stop supporting the Russian war effort. But the biggest enabler of the war is China, and it’s time we get real pressure on Beijing to stop supporting Russia’s invasion.”
The meeting also touched on the conflict in Gaza, where Trump said he was unaware of Erdogan’s exact position but insisted on the immediate, unconditional release of all Israeli hostages. “We want them all back, we want them back at one time,” he said.