U.S. President Donald Trump made statements to the press after the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara. Speaking ahead of his bilateral meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump said he would remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Removing Syria from the terror list
Asked about removing Syria from the list, Trump replied, "I think I will do that. Why wouldn't I? (Al-Sharaa) has done a very good job. Maybe he could have raised this issue too. That's a good question. Does anyone have a problem with that? I think we should do it. Yes, I will remove (Syria from the list)." The U.S. President, when asked whether Syria could help with Lebanon and Hezbollah, said, "They could help. We'll see. We are making great progress on that."
Erdoğan-Netanyahu tension
Trump also touched on the relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "(Erdoğan) is not a friend of Netanyahu, they don't get along well. But you know, for me (Erdoğan) has been a great person. Turkey has been a fantastic ally. And it's a NATO country," he said. Trump also highlighted his own contributions to Israel, stating, "If I weren't the U.S. President, Israel wouldn't exist today."
Iran's nuclear weapons
Stating that Iran must be denuclearized, Trump said, "(Iran) will never have a nuclear weapon. They have accepted that it will never happen. But they always behave badly. There is a problem with them." Trump argued that the U.S. has special machines to extract nuclear material from Iran "from underground," and noted that intervention could happen if the uranium is completely eliminated or a deal is reached.
Oil prices and Lebanon
Pointing to the drop in oil prices, Trump said, "Every time we hit Iran, oil prices go up a little." Trump, who said he spoke with Netanyahu about Israel withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, commented, "Yes, I think they will. I think they want to. I think it's a great thing for them to get along with Lebanon and make deals with Lebanon." Trump said that under the agreement, Israel would withdraw and the process would end positively.
Criticism of the European Union
Asked about relations with the EU, Trump replied, "We'll see what happens with the EU. They have taken advantage of us for years. We are very close with those countries, with every country in the EU. The problem is they have taken advantage of the U.S. for years. Just like (Al-Sharaa). They also took advantage of Syria. He is bringing (Syria) back, and I'm bringing the U.S. back."
Trump also targeted the former U.S. administration, saying of Al-Sharaa, "If he had come to Washington a year and a half ago, he would have feared for his life because (Washington) was very dangerous."
