Trump sends veiled threat to Putin that could completely choke his war machine

Donald Trump urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying Russian oil as they met at the White House. While introducing his counterpart during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump touted their friendship and indicated the United States might soon lift its hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara.

The estate mogul noted the two men’s longtime relationship, even through Trump’s own political troubles after he lost the 2020 presidential election, which he claims was "rigged". “Even for four years, when I was in exile — unfairly as it turns out, rigged election, you know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody — but when I was in exile, we were still friends,” Trump remarked.

He added: “That’s always a good way to find out, test a friendship.”

But he also extended a warning to Turkey that he had issued to European leaders at the United Nations this week, saying: "I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia" while it "continues its rampage against Ukraine".

Russia's income from exports of its vast oil supplies is crucial to funding its unprovoked war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Losing Turkey as a buyer would be a massive blow, but whether Erdogan's government would be willing or able to make such a massive move is another matter.

The country has strong ties with the Kremlin and has been one of the biggest buyers of Russian fossil fuel since the European Union announced in early 2023 it would boycott most Russian seaborne oil.

Since January 2023, Ankara has purchased more than $90billion (some £67.5bn) in Russian oil, coal and natural gas. Only China and India have bought more from Russia in that period.

During a fiery speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump said: “In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly."

However, he also repeated his calls for Europe to “step it up” and stop buying Russian oil.

Before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit, Trump said the “biggest progress” toward ending the conflict “is that the Russian economy is terrible right now.” Zelenskyy said he agreed with Trump’s call for European nations to further halt imports of Russian oil and natural gas.

“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump told Zelensky, who replied that he had “good news” from the battlefield.

It appeared to mark a major shift in Trump's stance towards the conflict, who repeated before a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month that any resolution to the war would require “some land swapping."

But following his meeting with Zelensky, the US President wrote on his Truth Social platform: “After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.

“With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, Nato, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not?”.

During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after Turkey purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey's use of Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.

But Trump started his Oval Office meeting with Erdogan on Thursday by offering hope that a resolution to the matter could be found during the leaders' talks.

“He needs certain things, and we need certain things, and we’re going to come to a conclusion. You’ll know by the end of the day," Trump said. The president added to Erdogan, “And I think you’ll be successful with buying the things" you would "like to buy.”

The president, in a brief exchange with reporters as he bid farewell to Erdogan, called it a “good meeting” but did not offer further details.