Trump urges Erdogan to halt Russian oil purchases during Oval Office visit

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confronted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, urging Ankara to stop buying Russian oil as Moscow wages its war in Ukraine. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump noted Erdogan has said he wants to remain neutral but said Turkish energy purchases from Moscow should end to put pressure on the Kremlin.

He told reporters that he and Erdogan would discuss both the Ukraine war and Turkey’s trade relations during the visit. “I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues his rampage against Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that Moscow has “lost millions of lives already” and that “Putin ought to stop.” Erdogan, who has hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine in the past, has said he wants to maintain good relations with both sides.

Turkey is the largest single buyer of Russian fuel, purchasing roughly a quarter of all Russia’s oil product exports between 2022 and 2024, according to the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The country also is the fifth-largest purchaser of Russian coal and the fourth-largest importer of Russian liquefied natural gas, following the European Union, China, Japan and South Korea. By comparison, China bought about 12% of Russia’s oil products over the same period, with Brazil at 11%.

Trump, who hosted Erdogan amid a broader push to prod allies to curb energy purchases from Moscow, signaled that Erdogan could influence the outcome of the war if he chose a harder line. He said Erdogan “could have a big influence, if he wants to” and that a decision not to buy Russian oil would be “probably the best thing” for ending the conflict. The Turkish president has maintained neutrality but has in the past hosted talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump’s remarks come as Washington has sought to escalate pressure after a prior effort to secure a meeting between Putin and Zelensky failed to materialize following a recent Alaska summit. The White House has also moved to expand penalties on other major Russian oil buyers; for example, Trump last month raised tariffs on India from 25% to 50% to penalize the second-largest importer of Russian crude. India purchases about 38% of Russian crude exports, behind only China at roughly 47%.

Observers noted that Turkey’s role as a major buyer complicates any move toward cutting Moscow’s oil revenue. Erdogan has indicated a preference for neutral ties, and while Trump suggested that he could press Erdogan to act, Turkey’s balancing act between Kyiv and Moscow remains a central element of its foreign policy as the war enters a sharper phase.