Trump, Erdogan fail to resolve dispute on Russian air system
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are “good friends,” but their meeting Wednesday at the White House failed to resolve an issue that has badly strained relations between the two NATO allies.
Trump and Erdogan concluded a visit without achieving an agreement on Turkey’s decision earlier this year to accept delivery of a Russian air defense system that poses such a threat to NATO security that the U.S. suspended Turkish participation in the multinational F-35 fighter jet program.
The Turkish president told reporters he might be persuaded to use the U.S.-made Patriot system
“as well” as the Russian S-400. Trump said they would agree to keep working on the issue.
“The acquisition of the S-400 creates some very serious challenges for us,” Trump said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to resolve that situation.”
The dispute over the competing air defense systems is a major component of the tension between the two countries. Turkey has also come under fire on Capitol Hill for its incursion into Syria last month to attack the Kurdish forces who fought with the U.S. against the Islamic State. And Turkey has been criticized for repression of political opponents, journalists and others.
Turkey, meanwhile, is angered at the U.S. for supporting the Kurdish forces it views as a threat and for refusing to extradite a
Muslim cleric it accuses of fomenting a 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan.
Despite the differences, Trump said he believes the two sides can substantially increase trade, which amounted to about $24 billion in 2017.
“We think we can bring trade up very quickly to about $100 billion between our countries,” Trump said.
Erdogan used the meeting as a chance to defend his military offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, some of whom have links to the separatists who have waged a violent campaign in Turkey for decades.
“We’re just fighting terrorists, period,” he said. “If you don’t fight back, you will have to pay a very hefty price.”