President Donald Trump has spoken by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and recent developments in Syria, according to the Turkish president’s office.
In his conversation with Trump, Erdogan voiced his “strong belief” that the United States and NATO member Turkey would “maintain ... their cooperation in solidarity and in a result-oriented and sincere manner.”
He also voiced support for the U.S. government’s “direct and decisive initiative for the termination of the Russia–Ukraine war,” according to the statement.
Erdogan said his country has sought “a just and lasting peace [between Russia and Ukraine] from the very beginning of the war.”
When Moscow invaded eastern Ukraine in early 2022, Ankara was quick to condemn the move.
Nevertheless, Turkey has maintained good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade ties and a lengthy maritime border.
Three years ago, shortly after the conflict began, Turkey hosted Russia–Ukraine negotiations that it said almost led to a cease-fire agreement.
Since then, Ankara has repeatedly offered to mediate between the two warring sides in hopes of ending the war.
During a visit to Ankara last month by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Turkey reiterated its willingness to host a fresh round of peace talks.
“We are ready to contribute all forms of support for peace to be achieved through talks,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a Feb. 24 joint press conference with Lavrov.
“We are ready to host these talks as we have done before.”
Fidan also praised the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict.
Leaders Talk Syria
Trump’s call with Erdogan also tackled events in Syria, where a Turkey-backed rebel offensive ended the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.During the phone call, Erdogan called for lifting Western sanctions on Syria “to restore stability in the country, render the new administration functional, and achieve normalization,” according to the Turkish presidency’s statement.
He also voiced hope that Washington would “take steps in the fight against terror in a manner taking Turkey’s interests into consideration.”
Roughly 2,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in northeastern Syria with the stated aim of combatting the ISIS terrorist group.
U.S. forces deployed in the region work closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led fighting force established in 2015.
Turkey views the SDF as a terrorist group because of its close links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a violent insurgency against the Turkish state since the 1980s.
Ankara, along with Brussels and Washington, regards the PKK as a terrorist organization.
In late February, the PKK pledged to end its decades-long fight against Turkey after its long-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, urged his supporters to lay down their arms.
In a related development last week, the U.S.-backed SDF signed a deal with Syria’s post-Assad regime to integrate its fighters into the country’s reconstituted security apparatus.
Erdogan welcomed the deal, saying its “full implementation” would contribute to war-torn Syria’s “security and stability.”
On March 12, Rubio also hailed the agreement, saying Washington “welcomes the ... agreement between the Syrian interim authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces to integrate the northeast into a unified Syria.”
According to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Trump and Erdogan last spoke in November 2024, when the latter congratulated his U.S. counterpart on winning a second term in office.
