U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS
ANKARA (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that he wanted the issue over Ankara’s procurement of air defense systems to be resolved without damaging bilateral ties, the Turkish presidency said.
Turkey and the United States have been at odds over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, a move Washington has warned would trigger U.S. sanctions. Turkey has so far dismissed the warnings and said it would not turn back from the deal.
In a statement following talks between Erdogan and Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had voiced concerns about U.S. actions that may harm the strategic partnership between the two NATO allies.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Orhan Coskun; Editing by Edmund Blair
