Trump wants Erdogan’s help to end the war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump of the US and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey talked on the phone Monday and said they wanted to work together to stop Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Erdogan had also asked Trump to visit Turkey, and Trump said on his Truth Social network that the Turkish leader would be meeting him in Washington.
“I’m excited to work with President Erdogan to end the pointless but deadly war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible!” Trump wrote.

Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office again in January. He has been trying to get Kyiv and Moscow to agree to stop fighting.
Since Russia invaded, Turkey, a NATO member, has tried to keep positive ties with both of its Black Sea neighbors. It has even hosted talks twice to try to end the war.

During what Trump called a “excellent and productive telephone conversation,” the two leaders also talked about “all things Syria, Gaza, and more.”
Trump said he and Erdogan got along “great” when he was president for the first time, from 2017 to 2021.

An office for the Turkish president said that Erdogan had told Trump that US moves to lift sanctions on Syria would “contribute” to making the war-torn country more stable.
Washington has said that any return to normalcy or lifting of sanctions after Bashar Assad was removed from power in December will rest on clear progress being made by Syria’s new leaders on key issues, such as taking action against “terror.”
In a speech, Erdogan also thanked Trump for his “approach to ending wars.” He talked about Ukraine, Gaza, and talks with Iran.

He talked about the Gaza Strip, which is in the middle of a war, and told Trump that help should “be delivered to Gaza without interruption.”

In March, Israel cut off all aid to the 2.4 million Palestinians living in Gaza. Its security cabinet also agreed to expand military actions in Gaza, which could include “conquering” Palestinian land.
Next week, Trump will go to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.