Trump Seeks Erdogans Collaboration to Resolve Ukraine Crisis

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his desire to collaborate with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to put an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that Erdogan had extended an invitation for him to visit Turkey and mentioned that the Turkish leader would be coming to Washington.

«I am eager to partner with President Erdogan to bring a stop to the absurd yet deadly conflict between Russia and Ukraine — ASAP!» Trump wrote.

Trump, who pledged to resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of commencing his second term in January, has been urging both Kyiv and Moscow to reach a ceasefire agreement.

As a member of NATO, Turkey has aimed to maintain amicable relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors since the onset of the Russian invasion and has hosted talks on two occasions aimed at ending the conflict.

During their conversation, the two leaders also spoke about issues related to Syria and Gaza, with Trump characterizing the call as «very good and productive.»

Trump noted that he had an «excellent» rapport with Erdogan during his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021.

The Turkish presidential office mentioned that Erdogan informed Trump that U.S. initiatives to alleviate sanctions on Syria would help stabilize the war-torn nation.

Washington has indicated that any normalization or lifting of sanctions in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s removal in December would depend on visible progress made by Syria’s new authorities on key issues, including actions against terrorism.

Erdogan also expressed gratitude to Trump for his «approach to ending wars,» highlighting the situations in Ukraine, Gaza, and negotiations concerning Iran.

He brought up the situation in the war-torn Gaza Strip, urging that humanitarian aid must be «delivered to Gaza without interruption.»

Israel has suspended all aid to the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza since March, and its security cabinet has approved the escalation of military operations in the territory, including what they refer to as the «conquest» of Palestinian areas.

Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next week.