In a highly anticipated meeting, US President Donald Trump received his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Washington on Thursday evening (Greek time), at the Oval Office.

Responding to questions fielded by the press corps before the meeting, Trump said he would be discussing with Erdogan the possibility of lifting sanctions against Turkey on procuring Patriot missiles, a decision by former President Biden he called “stupid.”

On the question of when the U.S. would lift sanctions against Turkey, President Trump replied, “almost immediately,” if today’s meeting is successful, adding the two leaders would also discuss tariffs later today.

According to data, Turkish exports to the United States are currently subject to a uniform tariff rate of 15%, which the Trump administration has applied to most countries.

On the war in Ukraine and the role of Turkey, the US president expressed his desire that Turkey would stop buying Russian oil. He added that Turkey commanded great respect from both sides in the conflict and was positioned to leverage its influence and act as a mediator.

Trump said Putin had spent billions of dollars on the war but had achieved very little.

Asked about possible disagreements with Erdogan regarding Gaza, President Donald Trump avoided making any public criticism, saying he did not know the Turkish leader’s position.

It should be noted that in his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Erdogan called on the international community to “stand firmly by the oppressed Palestinians in the name of humanity.” In an interview with Fox, he accused Netanyahu of committing “genocide.”