Why Turkey is the New Target of Trump’s Offensive Against Russia

President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday at the White House. The war in Ukraine was a key focus of the meeting. The atmosphere was noticeably less tense than Erdogan’s last visit in 2019, after significant political disagreements over Syria – a topic where both leaders are more aligned today. However, Trump made it clear that he wants Turkey – a NATO member – to stop buying Russian oil and gas. ‘The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,’ Trump told the press before the meeting, arguing that the war has already cost ‘millions of lives.’ ‘And for what? Shameful,’ said the American president, reiterating criticisms of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.