Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s communications office in Washington has issued a correction after his televised comments in the United States appeared to question President Donald Trump’s pledges to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, insisting that the remarks were mistranslated and were meant as praise for Trump’s efforts, according to Fox News.
Erdoğan, who is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Thursday, was interviewed Monday on Fox News by anchor Bret Baier. He is in the United States this week to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly and a for a meeting with Trump.
When asked about the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza in the interview, Erdoğan said through an interpreter: “Mr. Trump, you might remember, he used a term when he said I will finish the Russia-Ukraine war. Did it end? It still goes on. Similarly, he said I will finish the war in Gaza. Did it end? No. That means once we start analyzing the issue, there are prices to pay. And when we look at the hostage exchange, that was done. It goes on.”
The comments were widely interpreted as Erdoğan suggesting that Trump had failed to follow through on his promises, sparking a reaction in Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox on Tuesday that “the only leader in the world that has any chance of bringing it to an end is President Trump,” adding that foreign leaders, including Erdoğan, ultimately “all want President Trump to fix it.”
The controversy prompted Erdoğan’s communications office in Washington to send a correction to Fox News ahead of the White House visit.
“President Erdogan’s response to a question regarding the ending of wars was subject to a loss of meaning during translation,” the statement said. “During the interview, President Erdogan emphasized that bringing wars to an end involves significant challenges and costs and recognized President Trump’s efforts in this regard.”
Baier, who read the clarification on air on Wednesday, told viewers, “The president of Turkey clearly wanted to wanted to clarify that exchange ahead of his meeting with President Trump at the White House tomorrow.”
He added that Fox News is standing by the accuracy of its translation.
The incident reveals the sensitivity surrounding Erdoğan’s trip to Washington, where he is expected to discuss bilateral ties, NATO and ongoing global conflicts with Trump. By clarifying his remarks, Erdoğan appears to be avoiding any appearance of directly criticizing the US president as the two prepare for their first White House meeting since Trump’s return to office this year.
The last time Erdoğan visited the White House was in 2019 when Trump was serving his first term.
Turkey’s opposition strongly criticizes Erdoğan for allegedly making concessions to Trump and sidelining Palestinian concerns to secure a meeting with the US president.
Erdoğan, an outspoken critic of what he calls Israel’s “genocidal behavior” in Gaza, falls short of directly criticizing Trump, the strongest supporter of Israel and its biggest arms supplier.
Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza was triggered when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage on October 7, 2023.
Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said Israel’s campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide. Earlier this month, the International Association of Genocide Scholars also concluded it meets the definition of genocide under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
A UN commission has also found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and massive destruction, and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials of incitement to genocide.
Israel rejects those allegations, saying its military operations target Hamas and are carried out in self-defense.