WASHINGTON, D.C. (Erie News Now) — Today, a high-stakes meeting unfolded at the White House between President Trump and the President of Turkey. 

The meeting comes amid heightened turmoil in the Middle East that could impact alliances across the region. The highly consequential bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan focused on weighty decisions that could reshape America’s role in the Middle East. Chief among them, whether to welcome Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet program. 

“They want to buy F-16, F-35s and some other things. And we're going to talk to them about that,” said President Trump. 

Such a move could mend ties after years of strain. Turkey, a NATO ally, was expelled from the program during Trump’s first term after buying a Russian air-defense system — raising fears it could expose critical information about the F-35 to Russia. But following Thursday’s meeting, Trump signaled Turkey’s return is likely. 

At the same time, Turkey seeks sanctions relief as Trump hopes to deter Erdogan from leaning on Moscow for Russian oil. 

“The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia. If he did that, that would be probably the best thing,” Trump said. 

The two leaders also touched on Turkey’s role in Syria — and what Turkey could do to help end the war in Gaza. 

But hanging over today’s talks is Israel. Turkey has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — a direct contradiction of the position of President Trump, who is preparing to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House early next week. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu is under pressure from far-right factions of his party to annex parts of the West Bank. Experts warn that move could unravel the Abraham Accords, one of President Trump’s signature foreign policy achievements during his first term. 

“The Arab states have said that if there is annexation and Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, they would either suspend, freeze or reverse the Abraham Accords,” said Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Monday’s scheduled meeting with Netanyahu will be pivotal for Trump as he tries to stitch together a Middle East legacy teetering on a knife’s edge.