US President Donald Trump has described both Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “terrific” leaders, while claiming he personally persuaded Ankara to stay out of the recent conflict involving Iran.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said he maintains a positive relationship with Erdogan despite ongoing tensions between Turkey and Israel, including disagreements over Ankara’s efforts to acquire US-made F-35 fighter jets.
“I like Erdogan,” Trump said, describing the Turkish president as “terrific.”
The US leader went on to repeat his assertion that Turkey could have entered the conflict on Iran’s side but ultimately refrained because of his direct intervention.
“He could have gone into the war,” Trump said. “I told Bibi that Erdogan doesn’t like Israel very much, and he doesn’t like Bibi much either. But he didn’t go into the war because of me.”
Trump was referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he also praised as “a terrific wartime prime minister,” while acknowledging the strained relationship between the Israeli and Turkish leaders.
Pointing out Turkey’s military capabilities, Trump described the country as a major regional power equipped with advanced American military hardware and seeking to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
“Turkey is a military power. They have millions of soldiers. They’re very strong, and they have a lot of our best equipment. They’re trying to get the F-35,” he said.
The president argued that Turkey’s decision to stay out of the conflict demonstrated that Ankara was not acting as a hostile actor, insisting once again that his diplomatic engagement with Erdogan played a decisive role.
“He would have gone in, and he would have been on the other side,” Trump said. “But they treated us right.”
However, there has been no public indication from the Turkish government that it was considering joining the conflict in support of Iran.
During the hostilities, Turkey itself was exposed to the regional fallout, with several Iranian missiles passing through its airspace before being intercepted by NATO air defence systems.
Trump’s remarks come amid continuing diplomatic efforts to manage tensions in the Middle East, where relations between Turkey, Israel and Iran remain a key focus of regional security discussions.
