NEWS

Trump, Erdogan meet on sidelines of NATO summit

Trump, Erdogan meet on sidelines of NATO summit

US President Donald Trump has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

The meeting comes as European leaders, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, are pushing the alliance to get tougher on Turkey after its October invasion of Syria and its purchase of Russian surface-to-air missiles.

Trump has resisted some of those efforts to pressure Erdogan – a point of tension exposed in a feisty meeting Tuesday with the French leader.

Trump hosted Erdogan at the White House last month, despite bipartisan calls that he cancel it in the wake of Turkey's assault on Kurdish forces in Syria that were allies with the US in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The White House confirmed the meeting after Erdogan's office posted a photo of the two leaders on social media. The White House said they discussed “the importance of Turkey fulfilling its alliance commitments” as well as security and economic issues. [AP]

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