First of its kind: Biden and Erdogan to meet at the White House in May

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
29 Mar 2024 19:48

During 21 years of Erdogan's presidency, Biden was the first American President to not invite him for talks at the White House.

President Joe Biden and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, July 11, 2023 (AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden are set to meet on May 9, AFP reported, citing an informed Turkish official.

This would mark the first meeting between both presidents at the White House, who last met in July, at a NATO summit in Lithuania.

This comes as NATO allies try to mend ties with Turkey after they had been strained due to disputes, including its delay in approving Sweden's NATO bid.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Program at The Washington Institute, highlighted the significance of this trip, noting that throughout Erdogan's 21-year presidency, Biden had been the only US president who did not invite him to the White House.

"It's a pretty big deal that Erdogan has finally secured an invitation just before the end of Biden's term," he said.

US in talks with Turkey to buy explosives for Ukraine

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the US is looking to acquire explosives from Turkey in order to increase artillery shell manufacturing amid a worsening ammunition shortfall in Ukraine.

According to the article, the US is most interested in the Turkish supply of trinitrotoluene, often known as TNT, and nitroguanidine, which are crucial components of 155mm artillery shell manufacture, as demand for the ammunition has increased dramatically over the last two years due to the situation in Ukraine.

The Pentagon stated last month that a Turkish defense contractor would help the US in developing munition lines in Texas capable of manufacturing 30,000 artillery shells per month by the end of next year.

CNN previously cited NATO intelligence estimates that indicate Russia manufactures around 3 million artillery rounds per year, while the US and its European allies can only generate 1.2 million munitions yearly.

Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Western nations have provided military and financial help to Kiev, something the Kremlin has repeatedly cautioned against, citing a further escalation of the issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any container carrying weapons for Ukraine will be considered a suitable target for Russian attacks.