Ankara Places High Hopes on the Trump Administration to Improve Relations

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is visiting Washington at a critical time for Erdogan after the arrest of his main political rival, Ekrem İmamoğlu, an action that sparked the largest protests in Turkey in more than a decade.

This week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will ask U.S. officials to lift the sanctions imposed on Ankara and allow the country to return to a fighter jet program as Turkey seeks to restore its relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump‘s administration.

Fidan is scheduled to meet with his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, on Tuesday, just days after a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which one of Trump‘s senior aides described as a “turning point.”

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Fidan’s visit comes at a critical time for Erdogan after the imprisonment of his main political rival and mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, over charges related to corruption, a move that sparked the largest protests in Turkey in over a decade.

The strategic partnership between the United States and Turkey has deteriorated in recent years as the rift between the two longtime allies has widened. The administration of former President Joe Biden maintained a distance from Turkey, a NATO member, due to what it saw as close ties with Russia.

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Turkey seeks to forge closer ties with Washington under Trump, who has a more positive view of Moscow. It also plans to leverage the personal relationship between the two leaders.

A Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Fidan would emphasize the importance of discussing the lifting of sanctions and Turkey’s return to the U.S. fighter jet program (F-35) during his meetings.

Trump had initially ignored his advisers’ advice to sanction Turkey for acquiring the Russian air defense system (S-400) in 2019, before taking that step in 2020.

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Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian system also led to its exclusion from the U.S. fighter jet program (F-35), a decision Ankara considers “unfair” and “illegal,” demanding either a return to the program or the reimbursement of its investments.

Sources close to the situation said that the phone call between Erdogan and Trump could bring positive momentum to the talks in the coming days, although no promises have been made.

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Wietkoff said in an interview with broadcaster Tucker Carlson: “The president had a great conversation with Erdogan a few days ago. I would describe it as a turning point.”

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On Monday, Erdogan expressed his hope that relations between his country and the United States would “gain a different momentum” during Trump‘s second term.

He confirmed that he had discussed several important issues with Trump over the phone, including removing all obstacles to the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $100 billion, adding, “It is very possible that Turkish-American relations will gain a different momentum during Mr. Trump‘s second term.”

He continued, “Despite all the difficulties in our region, especially the lobbies that try to poison cooperation between our two allied countries, I believe we will achieve cooperation for the benefit of our entire region.”

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