Erdogan’s ‘friend’ Trump played role in strained Turkey-US ties

President Tayyip Erdogan called Donald Trump a "friend" in welcoming his return to the White House, and invited him for a visit despite longstanding strains in Turkish-US ties including some rooted in Trump's first term as president.

Here are some of the rifts between Washington and Ankara:

Defense, sanctions, NATO

Turkey, a NATO member and regional military power, angered the Trump Administration in 2019 by purchasing Russian S-400 missile defenses. In response, Washington cancelled a planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and ousted it from a joint production program for the planes.

In late 2020, the US House of Representatives approved sanctions on Turkey's defense industry over the S-400s, a package that Trump initially planned to veto but ultimately approved before leaving office.

Turkey has since sought to recoup its $1.6 billion...