Sawt Falasteen - Trump hints at jets for Erdogan if Turkey quits Russian oil

Erdogan was making his first visit to the White House since 2019 -- the same year Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 jet program over the NATO ally's purchase of a Russian air defense system.

Trump said they would talk "very seriously" about ending the rift over the high-tech planes, and said he was ready to lift sanctions against Ankara over the Russian S-400 missiles if the meeting went well.

But he also pushed the key issue of Ukraine with Erdogan, whose country has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow and has even stepped up its purchases of Russian oil.

"I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage," Trump told reporters at the start of the two-hour meeting in the Oval Office.

Erdogan had influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, but added: "The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia."

Turkey is Russia's fourth-biggest trading partner, according to Europe's Bruegel institute, which tallied $52 billion worth of exchanges last year -- largely fossil fuels and electronics.

Trump, who said in a major shift earlier this week that he now believed Ukraine can win the war, insists Western allies must stop buying Russian oil and gas before he imposes any more sanctions on Moscow.

- 'Rigged elections' -

It wasn't clear if Trump and Erdogan reached a deal on the F-35s that have been a sticking point ever since Trump's first term.

Turkey was booted out of the flagship US fighter jet program six years ago out of concern that its purchase of the Russian system would give NATO's main adversary a window into the F-35's capabilities.

But Trump said after meeting Erdogan that the talks were "very conclusive in so many different things -- things that we wanted, things that he wanted."

"We'll be announcing that sometime later, and he'll be making an announcement too," he told reporters.

Trump added that US sanctions imposed on Turkey's defense sector amid the Russian missiles row could be lifted "almost immediately."

Known for his admiration for forceful foreign leaders, Trump, 79, has long shown a fondness for Erdogan, 71, and is embracing him despite a crackdown in Turkey on the opposition.

"This is a guy who's highly opinionated. Usually, I don't like opinionated people, but I always like this one, but he's a tough one," Trump told reporters.

"He knows about rigged elections better than anybody," Trump added about his counterpart, after saying that they had stayed friends even while the Republican was out of office due to what he called a "rigged election."

Trump and Erdogan were also seeking to paper over differences on Gaza and Syria. Erdogan has been a fierce critic of key US ally Israel over the Gaza war.

"President Trump has tremendous influence. I believe that we could, hand-in-hand, overcome all the bitterness and the problems in the region," Erdogan told reporters through an interpreter.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST