Trump will come to Turkey for Ukraine talks only if Putin is also present, says Turkish president on his return flight from The Hague.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to journalists on the plane returning from the NATO Summit in The Hague, discussing his strong ties with Donald Trump, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Turkey’s desire to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program.

Regarding the summit and agreements reached, Erdogan said: “The top priority was increasing defense spending among Allies. It was agreed that defense spending will rise to 5% of our GDP within 10 years. We are among the countries closest to reaching that target. Therefore, lifting restrictions among allies is critical. Similarly, it is essential that non-EU Allies are included in national defense and security initiatives. Support for Ukraine and the outcome of the war were also major topics at the summit. My dear friend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also attended the dinner hosted by the King of the Netherlands on June 24. Turkey continues its efforts to end this brutal war with a just and lasting peace. We are in dialogue to host a third round of talks in the near future.”

On the possibility of Trump attending future Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, Erdogan stated: “This war must end. Our region cannot bear any more. A just and lasting peace must be built. Even if everyone else gives up, Turkey will not stop its peace efforts. Both Ukraine and Russia trust us. The Istanbul talks opened the door to peace. If there’s even a small chance for peace, we will pursue it. In fact, we believe there’s more than just a small hope. We aim to bring the parties together again and eventually host a leaders’ summit in Turkey to build peace. We conveyed this to President Trump during our meeting. He told us: ‘If Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara to find a solution, I will come too.’”

On Turkey’s air defense and F-35 program discussions, Erdogan added: “Our air defense system does not end with the S-400s. We must build a layered system, like a body’s organs working in harmony. We’ve reached a certain level, but it’s not enough — we need to enhance our missile capabilities. We are building our ‘Steel Dome.’ We produced our own UAVs, SIHAs, and the national fighter jet KAAN. Despite early skepticism, KAAN is now in the skies. As for the F-35s, we have not given up. We continue to discuss our intention to rejoin the program with our allies. The F-35 is both a political and technical matter. Turkey was unfairly excluded from the program, a step we’ve always criticized as incompatible with the spirit of the alliance. We discussed this with Mr. Trump, and technical talks have now begun. We hope to make progress.”