Trump calls out Turkish president for buying Russian oil during Oval Office visit

WASHINGTON — President Trump confronted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday for defying Trump’s calls for stop buying Russian oil and funding Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Noting that Erdogan has said he wants to remain “neutral” in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, Trump told reporters in front of the Turkish president that it was time to crank up the economic pressure on the Kremlin.

“I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues his rampage against Ukraine,” Trump said. “[Moscow has] lost millions of lives already, and for what? You know, for what? Disgraceful.”

Trump, 79, added that he and Erdogan, 71, would discuss both the Ukraine war and trade relations during his visit, apparently referencing the US president’s desire to wean Ankara off Kremlin energy.

Turkey’s head of state remained stone-faced during Trump’s appeals, before responding noncommitally through a translator: “I believe in the peace efforts that President Trump is leading, and together we will be able to overcome the challenges in the region.”

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Returning to a theme of his public statements this week, Trump added that “[Russia’s] economy is absolutely terrible right now. And I think it’s — I think it’s a shame that they’re doing that, killing a lot of people unnecessarily. 7,818 people were killed last week, mostly military people.

“It’s such a waste of human life, and so he ought to stop. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin ought to stop.”

Trump said Erdogan, who has hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine in the past, “could have a big influence, if he wants to” on ending the war.

So far, Turkey has chosen to maintain positive relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.

“Right now, he’s very neutral. He likes being neutral, so do I — I like being neutral. But he’s somebody that, if he got involved, the best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump said. “If he did, if he did that, that would be probably the best thing.”

“He knows Putin, like I know Putin,” he added.

Later Thursday, after Erdogan left the White House, Trump told reporters that the Turkish president “has a lot of options” to meet his country’s energy needs and predicted: “He’s going to do what’s right.”

Turkey, a member of NATO since 1952, has the closest relationship with Russia of any nation in the 32-member Atlantic alliance.

Anakara is the largest single buyer of Russian fuel, purchasing roughly a quarter of all Moscow’s oil product exports between 2022 and 2024, according to the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

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Comparatively, China — the top buyer of Russian crude oil — bought roughly 12% of Russia’s oil products over the same time period, followed by Brazil (11%).

Turkey also is the fifth-largest purchaser of Russian coal and is the fourth-largest importer of Russian liquified natural gas, following the EU, China, Japan and South Korea.

Cooperation with Moscow on energy has extended into the nuclear realm, according to a 2024 report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which noted that Turkey’s first nuclear power plant is being built by Russia while “scores of Turkish nuclear engineers and technicians are being trained” in the US adversary.

Trump, who surprisingly declared Tuesday that Kyiv could reconquer all of its territory as a result of Russian economic instability, is seeking to increase pressure on Moscow after failing to convince Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following an Aug. 15 US-Russia summit in Alaska.

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The commander in chief, who previously pressured Zelensky to make concessions — including agreeing to part with occupied regions of his country — also has been calling on other allies and partners to curtail their energy purchases from Russia.

Trump last month increased tariffs on India from 25% to 50% in an effort to penalize the second-largest importer of Russian crude oil. India purchases about 38% of Russian crude exports — behind only China, which buys about 47%.