Trump pushes Turkey on Russian oil, hints at lifting sanctions

President Donald Trump said on Thursday (25 September) he believes Turkey will agree to his request to stop purchasing Russian oil and that he may lift U.S. sanctions on Ankara so it can buy advanced American F-35 jets.

Trump told reporters after his two hours of talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that their meeting was “very conclusive” on a variety of issues but offered no further details about an announcement he said would be made later.

Trump has been pressing European nations to stop purchases of Russian oil in exchange for his agreement to impose tough sanctions on Moscow to try to dry up funding for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Frustrated by Russia’s refusal to halt the fighting, Trump this week in a major shift said it was possible Ukraine could reclaim all the territory it has lost to Russia.

Trump, in rhetorical shift, says Ukraine can retake all its land with EU help

Asked if Turkey will stop purchasing Russian oil, Trump sounded confident.

“I believe he will stop it, yeah. You know why? Because he can buy it from a lot of other people,” Trump said of Erdoğan.

Two other European nations, Hungary and Slovakia, also buy Russian oil. Trump seemed to give them a pass, saying they have limited ability to get energy elsewhere.

Ankara hoping for closer ties under Trump

Erdoğan came to the White House for his first visit in about six years seeking Trump’s approval to lift U.S. sanctions to allow for purchases of F-35 fighters.

Seated side by side in the Oval Office, Trump called Erdoğan a “very tough man” and said they remained friends while his predecessor Joe Biden was in office. Biden kept Turkey at arm’s length partly over what he saw as the fellow NATO member’s close ties with Russia.

Ankara is keen to leverage the friendly personal relationship with Trump to further national interests and take advantage of a U.S. administration eager to make deals in return for big-ticket arms and trade agreements.

When Trump and Erdoğan took questions from reporters during their meeting, Trump sounded willing to make a deal to sell the F-35s.

“I think he’ll be successful in buying the things that he wants to buy,” Trump said. Trump also said he could lift sanctions against Turkey “very soon,” and that “if we have a good meeting, almost immediately.”

Trump and Erdoğan – both seen as increasingly autocratic by their critics at home – had a checkered relationship during the Republican president’s first term. But since Trump’s return to the White House, their interests have aligned on Syria – the source of the biggest bilateral strain in the past – where the U.S. and Turkey now both strongly back the central government.

U.S. sanctions block F-35 sales

A warming trend in ties has renewed Turkish hopes that Trump and Erdoğan, who have exchanged mutual praise, can find a way around U.S. sanctions imposed by Trump himself in 2020 over Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defences.

That, in turn, could pave the way for Ankara to buy Lockheed Martin’s advanced (LMT.N), opens new tab F-35 fighter jets, for which it was both a buyer and manufacturer until it was barred over the S-400s.

Erdoğan had said the defence industry, including the topic of F-35s and ongoing negotiations over 40 F-16 jets Ankara also wants, would be a focus of the meeting, along with regional wars, energy and trade.

Turkey, NATO’s second-largest army, wants to ramp up air power to counter what it sees as growing threats in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where it neighbours Russia and Ukraine.

Expert comment

Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, director of the European Neighbouhood Council, caontent partner of EUalive, said that according to him, Trump will ask from Erdoğan to drop Rosatom for the Turkish nuclear power plants (Akkuyu & Sinop).

He posted on X:

“U.S. wants Turkey to get rid of S-400s and it wants it to import less Russian 🇷🇺 gas (Blue Stream and TurkStream). From the Turkish perspective, the problem is that US gas costs more than imported Russian gas (100% more).

Secondly, US wants Turkey to de-couple from China, including electric vehicles, energy (carbon near Adana), machinery, electronics, copper, steel and iron. Here context is important: Turkey’s largest trade partner worldwide is China 🇨🇳. It’s expensive to de-couple: $43 billion yearly to be precise.

Third, US wants Turkey to agree with Israel about Syria and missile ranges, which means allowing Netanyahu control over substantial parts of Syria. In addition, the U.S. wants Ankara to accept “IMEC corridor” meaning infrastructure and transport construction and trade along India-Saudi Arabia-Israel and Cyprus. Washington also wants Turkey to accept the plans of Israel in Palestine/Gaza, which would facilitate IMEC and give Israel total control over the region, including all Palestine, Lebanon and substantial parts of Syria.”

#Erdoğan–#Trump in White House:

What 🇹🇷 asksfor? What 🇺🇸 gives?👇

🌐 Erdoğan and his team are good strategists. Regardless of political views: his inner circle (Fidan & Kalin) are motivated, loyal & intelligent. They understand the “importance of #Türkiye’s 🇹🇷 land position… pic.twitter.com/kRH1MT8TtA

— Samuel Doveri Vesterbye (@SamuelJsdv) September 26, 2025

With Reuters

Caption: US President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2-L) in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, USA, 25 September 2025. EPA/YURI GRIPAS / POOL