US President Donald Trump made important statements to journalists after the NATO summit in Ankara. Speaking ahead of his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump said Syria would be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Syria's removal from terror list
In response to a question about this decision, Trump said, "I think I will do it. Why wouldn't I? (Al-Sharaa) has done a very good job. 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)." On whether Syria could help regarding Lebanon and Hezbollah, he said, "They could help. We'll see. We are making great progress on this."
Israel-Turkey relations
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. Also a NATO country," he said. Emphasizing his contributions to Israel, Trump stated, "If I weren't the US President, Israel wouldn't exist today."
Iran's nuclear program
Saying 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 US has special machines to extract nuclear material from Iran "from underground," and stated that intervention could occur if the uranium is completely eliminated or an agreement is reached.
Lebanon and oil prices
Trump said he discussed with Netanyahu the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. "Yes, I think they will do it. I think they want to. I think it's a great thing for them to get along with Lebanon, to make deals with Lebanon," he assessed. He said that under the agreement, Israel would withdraw and the process would conclude positively. Pointing to the drop in oil prices, Trump said, "Every time we hit Iran, oil prices go up a little."
Criticism of the European Union
On the question 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 US for years. Just like (Al-Sharaa). They also took advantage of Syria. He is bringing (Syria) back, and I am bringing the US back." Targeting the previous US administration, he said 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."
