US President Donald Trump pressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to halt purchases of Russian oil amid the Ukraine conflict, while signaling openness to lifting a US ban on selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ankara.

Erdogan’s visit to the White House marked his first since 2019, the year Washington expelled Turkey from the F-35 program due to the NATO ally’s acquisition of a Russian S-400 air defense system.

Trump said they would talk “very seriously” about ending the rift over the high-tech jets, 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-largest trading partner, according to the Bruegel institute in Europe, which tallied $52 billion worth of exchanges last year — largely in 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.

It remained uncertain whether Trump and Erdogan finalized an agreement on the F-35 jets, a persistent issue since Trump’s first term.

Aboiut six years ago, Turkey was excluded from the US’s premier fighter jet program due to fears that its purchase of Russia’s S-400 system could expose the F-35’s capabilities to NATO’s primary rival.

Following their meeting, Trump described the discussions as “very productive on many fronts—addressing both our priorities and his.”

“We’ll share details of that later, and he’ll have his own announcement,” Trump told reporters. He also suggested that US sanctions on Turkey’s defense sector, imposed over the S-400 dispute, could be lifted “almost immediately.”

Earlier,  Erdoğan had said that his country has not given up on the F-35 fighter jet and has communicated its intention to rejoin the F-35 consortium.

“We have not given up on the F-35s. We are discussing our intention to return to the programme with our counterparts,” he was quoted as saying by his office on June 26. “We discussed the issue in our meeting with Mr Trump, talks at a technical level have started. God willing, we will make progress,” he added.

Meanwhile, the US envoy to Ankara stated on June 29th that US sanctions on Turkey’s defense sector, imposed over S-400 acquisition, are likely to be lifted by the end of the year.

Speaking to the Anadolu state news agency, Tom Barrack said that US President Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan would instruct their top diplomats to “figure out the way and end it… My belief is that by the year-end, we have the possibility of having a solution.”

There has been no official announcement yet; however, there are possibilities that Turkey could get F-35 jets and keep S-400 AD systems as well if Erdogan helps Trump to end the Ukraine war.

Turkish Airlines Signs Big Boeing Deal

Turkish Airlines announced on Friday a deal to purchase up to 225 Boeing jets, one day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first visit to the White House since 2019.

The order includes 150 confirmed aircraft to be delivered between 2029 and 2034, with an option for 75 more, the company stated in a statement, without providing a cost figure.

“With these orders, we aim to transition our entire fleet to next-generation aircraft by 2035, boosting efficiency and supporting an average annual growth rate of six percent,” the airline said.

The airline placed a firm order for 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with an option for 25 additional units. It also placed an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets, with an option for an additional 50.

The airline is also in talks with engine makers Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace for engines, spare parts, and maintenance services for the Dreamliners.

Reports of a deal had circulated in Turkish media earlier this week, ahead of Erdogan’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders met for over two hours on Thursday, marking Erdogan’s first official reception at the White House since 2019. He had been largely sidelined during President Joe Biden’s term.

The Boeing deal follows Turkish Airlines’ December 2023 announcement of a 355-plane order from European rival Airbus.