ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in The Hague on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, defense cooperation, and key regional conflicts, including the recent Iran-Israel ceasefire, the situation in Gaza, and the war in Ukraine.
A statement from Turkey’s Communications Directorate on Wednesday quoted Erdogan as emphasizing the potential for deeper cooperation between Ankara and Washington, particularly in the energy sector, defense industry, and investment. He also highlighted that enhanced defense collaboration could help the two countries reach their $100 billion trade volume target.
The Turkish president further welcomed the Israel-Iran ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday, following efforts from Trump, and expressed hope that “it would be lasting.”
The US-brokered ceasefire followed ten days of tit-for-tat missile and drone attacks between the two countries, marking one of the most direct confrontations between Israel and Iran.
Tensions between Israel and Iran began on June 13, when Israeli airstrikes inside Iran killed senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone barrages targeting Israel.
The conflict escalated after US strikes on Sunday hit Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites. Tehran retaliated the next day with a ballistic missile attack on al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the region.
Turkey’s Communications Directorate further cited Erdogan as emphasizing the importance of close dialogue in ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and stressing the need to “find a peaceful solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
Importantly, Turkey hosted the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years in May amid the notable absence of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump. For Ankara, hosting such talks was seemingly geared to bolster Turkey’s role as a key facilitator of diplomatic efforts in the ongoing conflict that began in February 2022. Ankara previously hosted high-level negotiations between both sides in March 2022.
As leading NATO allies, Erdogan and Trump also underscored the need to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence capabilities.
The 2025 NATO Summit in the Netherlands gathered leaders from all 32 member states to focus on strengthening the alliance amid rising global tensions. The primary agenda centered on boosting defense spending, with Trump pushing allies to increase military budgets.
