Turkey's Erdogan says meaningful progress made in Trump talks

AL-Monitor
Sep 26, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque — Kevin Lamarque

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his talks with President Donald Trump on Thursday yielded "meaningful progress" in many areas, with discussions on steps to improve defence cooperation and boost trade.

In comments to reporters during his return flight from Washington, Erdogan said the two leaders exchanged views on steps to boost trade including the revision of customs duties to achieve their target of a $100 billion trade volume.

"We are leaving Washington happy," Erdogan said, adding that the relationship was advancing with mutual respect.

"It's certainly impossible to resolve every issue in a single meeting. However, this meeting has led to meaningful progress on many issues," he said, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office on Friday.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler)