Trump says will host Erdogan at White House

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will host his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on September 25 as they work on a number of trade and military agreements, including talks about F-35 fighter jets.

"I am pleased to host President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of Turkey, at the White House on September 25th. We are working on many Trade and Military Deals with the President, including the large scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 Deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. 

The two leaders have "always had a very good relationship. I look forward to seeing him on the 25th!" he added. 

Turkey is preparing to sign a series of energy agreements during the visit, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

World leaders will be gathering in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly next week.

The Turkish presidency has not commented on the scheduled meeting with Trump.

Erdogan last visited the White House in 2019 during Trump's first term. 

Despite a strong personal bond between Trump and Erdogan, the US-Turkey relationship has been strained. A key point of contention was Washington's backing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria. 

Erdogan's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems angered Trump, leading him to cancel a planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.