Trump Calls Erdogan a "Great Leader," Signals He’s Open to an F-35 Deal

President Donald Trump met Tuesday afternoon in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Prior to the bilateral meeting, Trump delivered a brief public statement in which he struck a notably warm tone toward his host.

"We are great friends, and we have a special relationship," Trump said. "Had this summit not been held in Turkey — where my friend leads — I might not have attended at all. Under his leadership, Turkey has become a militarily formidable country. He is a great leader, and our relationship with Turkey is stronger than with many other nations."

Asked about reports that Washington may move to sell advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Ankara — and about the concern and opposition the prospect has drawn from Israel — Trump offered an open-ended response: "That is a decision we will have to make. Many people, including those in this room, are asking: why shouldn't we? It is absolutely something we will consider. Turkey has shown more loyalty than a number of other countries."

Erdoğan, for his part, pushed back on any suggestion that the issue is newly emerging. He noted that Turkey and the United States had discussed the matter previously, and that Ankara had at one point been promised delivery of five F-35 aircraft.

Trump indicated that the bilateral agenda for the meeting would include trade, regional security, Israel, and Iran. "We are going to have a lot of good meetings, good food, and we will do good things for our countries," he said.

President Donald Trump met Tuesday afternoon in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Prior to the bilateral meeting, Trump delivered a brief public statement in which he struck a notably warm tone toward his host.

"We are great friends, and we have a special relationship," Trump said. "Had this summit not been held in Turkey — where my friend leads — I might not have attended at all. Under his leadership, Turkey has become a militarily formidable country. He is a great leader, and our relationship with Turkey is stronger than with many other nations."

Asked about reports that Washington may move to sell advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Ankara — and about the concern and opposition the prospect has drawn from Israel — Trump offered an open-ended response: "That is a decision we will have to make. Many people, including those in this room, are asking: why shouldn't we? It is absolutely something we will consider. Turkey has shown more loyalty than a number of other countries."

Erdoğan, for his part, pushed back on any suggestion that the issue is newly emerging. He noted that Turkey and the United States had discussed the matter previously, and that Ankara had at one point been promised delivery of five F-35 aircraft.

Trump indicated that the bilateral agenda for the meeting would include trade, regional security, Israel, and Iran. "We are going to have a lot of good meetings, good food, and we will do good things for our countries," he said.