Diyar GuldoganTuesday July 7, 2026
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received US President Donald Trump in Ankara on Tuesday with full military honors as leaders gathered for the opening of a two-day NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
The welcome ceremony at the presidential complex set the stage for talks between Erdogan and Trump on a range of regional and global matters.
In tribute to the visiting US leader, a 21-gun salute was fired.
As Trump reached the complex, the Turkish Air Force aerobatic display team, the Turkish Stars, marked his arrival with a ceremonial flyover.
Before moving into bilateral and delegation-level meetings, Erdogan and Trump appeared before the press.
Erdogan voiced confidence that the summit could lead to a “favorable decision” on Türkiye’s years-long effort to obtain F-35 fighter jets from the US.
“The F-35 issue is not a new one for us. We have discussed it with the US before, and we received a commitment regarding the five aircraft. God willing, I believe a favorable decision on the F-35 issue will emerge from this Leaders’ Summit,” he added.
On the question of possible US backing for Türkiye’s homegrown KAAN fighter jet program, including potential engine deliveries, Erdogan said he planned to raise the matter with Trump during the summit.
“I believe that he will reiterate here the good news he has already shared with us,” Erdogan said.
The US removed Türkiye from the F-35 program in 2019, during Trump’s first term, after Washington objected to Ankara’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, arguing that the Russian platform posed a risk to the fighter jets.
‘We will bring many issues on our agenda to a successful conclusion’
Trump, meanwhile, pledged to lift sanctions placed on Türkiye under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, several years ago.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off … We don’t want to sanction friends,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan personally met Trump at Esenboga Airport as the US president arrived.
The leaders exchanged a brief conversation after Trump stepped off the aircraft. Addressing the Guard Regiment’s ceremonial unit, Trump said “Merhaba asker” (Hello, soldier) in Turkish.
Erdogan and Trump then went to the airport’s State Guest House, where they stood for an official commemorative photograph.
In a separate statement, Erdogan said he was pleased to welcome Trump to Ankara and expressed confidence that their close cooperation would yield progress across several files.
“I believe that, thanks to our solidarity and strong relations with Mr. President, we will bring many issues on our agenda to a successful conclusion,” Erdogan wrote on Türkiye’s social media platform NSosyal.
On Tuesday evening, Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan are scheduled to host a reception and formal state dinner at the presidential complex for the heads of state and government, along with their spouses, attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit.
Earlier, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine paid a visit to Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye. Accompanied by a US delegation, Caine laid a wreath at the mausoleum and observed a moment of silence.
NATO leaders, together with representatives from key partner countries, are convening in Ankara for the alliance’s 2026 summit. The agenda centers on carrying out the defense spending pledges made at last year’s meeting in the Hague, maintaining military assistance for Ukraine and increasing defense industrial production.
