US President Donald Trump said Friday he will welcome Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House next week and expects a resolution to a long-running rift on fighter jets.
It will be the first visit to the White House by Erdogan since 2019 during Trump's first term, with former president Joe Biden having a tense relationship with the Turkish leader he accused of autocratic behavior.
Trump announced that Erdogan will visit the White House on Thursday, after the two leaders participate at the UN General Assembly in New York.
During Trump's first term, the United States booted Turkey, a NATO ally, out of its flagship F-35 fighter-jet program.
The first Trump administration took the action after Turkey defiantly bought Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, raising fears that NATO's main adversary would seize a window into Western jet operations.
"We are working on many trade and military deals with the president, including the large-scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"I look forward to seeing him on the 25th!" he said.
AFP
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