US President Donald Trump said he held a “productive” phone call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, during which they discussed the war in Ukraine and the situations in Gaza and Syria.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said the two leaders invited each other for visits. The Turkish presidency confirmed the invitations.
“I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous, but deadly, war between Russia and Ukraine ended – now,” Mr Trump wrote. He said his relationship with the Turkish President was “excellent”.
Mr Erdogan is seeking smoother relations with Washington, which for years have been strained by US support for Syrian Kurdish forces and Turkey’s acquisition of Russian air defences.
Turkey, a member of the Nato alliance, has sought to maintain relations with Russia and Ukraine since the war started more than three years ago.
It hosted early talks between the sides, helping to secure an agreement for the export of grain through the Black Sea. It has also voiced support for the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
It was not clear what role Ankara has taken in more recent efforts to end the war.
"We're in a good position to settle. They want to settle, Ukraine wants to settle," Mr Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday.
Mr Trump, who took office in January, vowed to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine, which started when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. He also wants to end US military support for Kyiv. On Sunday, Mr Trump cast doubt on whether a US-brokered agreement ending the war was possible.
Last week, his administration signed a minerals deal with Ukraine under which the US will invest in the nation's postwar reconstruction. Under the agreement, the two nations say they are set to jointly benefit from the extraction of natural resources in Ukraine.
Mr Erdogan also said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached "grave proportions", and called for the delivery of uninterrupted aid, adding that Turkey was ready to support efforts to establish a ceasefire and achieve lasting peace.
According to the Turkish presidency, Mr Erdogan told Mr Trump that Turkey was working to help preserve Syria's territorial integrity, and urged him to consider sanctions relief on Damascus.
Israel has been conducting military strikes in Syria since last year. Last week, it conducted an attack near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, saying the move was to protect the Druze in Syria.
The escalation came as Turkey is planning to send troops and set up a military base in Syria, a move that would help the nation assert its role as a key player in the region, and could deter Israeli strikes.
