Trump vows 'no concessions' with Turkey over detained US pastor
After Israel releases a Turkish woman at Trump's request, the US president says he expects his Turkish counterpart to keep his end of the bargain, and release US pastor: 'I got that person out for him. I expect him to let this great Christian out of Turkey.'
US President Donald Trump ruled out on Monday agreeing to any demands from Turkey regarding the release of a detained American pastor and said he was not concerned that his tough stance could end up hurting European and emerging market economies.
The US president also spoke about a possible second meeting with North Korean leader, and showed little interest in meeting with President of Iran.
In a wide-ranging Oval Office interview with Reuters, Trump said he thought he had a deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan when hehelped persuade Israel to free a detained Turkish citizen.
In an article published in the Washington Post last month, Trump was said to have personally asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release Ebru Ozkan who was suspected of helping Hamas and who had been arrested during a visit to Israel, as part of a secret deal with Turkey to secure the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson.
Brunson denies Turkey's allegations that he was involved in a plot against Erdogan two years ago.
"I think it's very sad what Turkey is doing. I think they're making a terrible mistake. There will be no concessions," he said.
Turkey has demanded that the United States hand over Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric in the United States suspected in the coup plot against Erdogan, but the United States has balked at this.
Trump has imposed tariffs on imports of Turkish steel and aluminum in response to Erdogan's refusal to free Brunson, raising concerns of economic damage in Europe and in emerging market economies.
Tnesions were further raised on Monday when shots were fired at a security booth outside the US Embassy in Turkey's capital, but US officials said no one was hurt.
Brunson is currently under house arrest after spending more than a year and a half in prison. If convicted, he is facing up to 35 years in prison of espionage and terror-related charges.
Trump said he kept his side of the bargain by asking Israel to release Ozkan.
The woman, 27, was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport in June for "endangering national security and contacts with terrorist organizations." She was deported on July 15.
"I got that person out for him. I expect him to let this very innocent and wonderful man and great father and great Christian out of Turkey," Trump said.
Trump added: "I like Turkey. I like the people of Turkey very much. Until now I had a very good relationship as you know with the president. But it can't be a one-way street. It's no longer a one-way street for the United States."
The US began imposing tariffs on Turkish imports several days after the agreement failed.
When asked about the potential damage to other economies, the US president replied: 'I'm not concerned at all. I'm not concerned. This is the proper thing to do."
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The dispute threatens to intensify a split between the United States and Turkey, a key NATO ally that plans to buy Russian missiles.
Putin, Trump meeting
The US president drew a barrage of criticism at home and abroad after he stood side by side with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a July 16 summit in Helsinki and cast doubt on his own intelligence agencies' findings that Russia meddled in the 2016 US elections.
In the Reuters interview, he ticked off areas that he discussed privately with Putin, including security for Israel, Syria and Russia's annexation of Crimea and incursion into eastern Ukraine, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany that will supply natural gas to Germany.
Trump said Putin did not raise with him the issue of US sanctions on Russia but that he would consider lifting them if Russia took steps on such areas as Syria or Ukraine.
"I would consider it if they do something that would be good for us. But I wouldn't consider it without that," he said.
Turning to Iran, the American president showed little interest in meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss the dispute over Iran's nuclear program after earlier this month expressing a willingness to do so.
"If they want to meet that's fine, and if they don't want to meet, I couldn't care less," he said.
The Iranians, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have dismissed the offer. Trump said it did not matter to him whether he met Iran's leaders and that there had been no US outreach toward Iran to discuss talks.
Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers earlier this year has raised tensions between Washington and Tehran.
When asked about North Korea, Trump said that he will "most likely" have a second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and indicated he would consider lifting US sanctions on Russia if Moscow took some actions in return.
