Erdogan, Trump discuss Ukraine, Syria, defence issues, Turkey says

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and discussed efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and to restore stability in Syria, Erdogan's office said on Sunday.

He told Trump that Turkey supports his "decisive and direct initiatives" to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and that Turkey will continue to strive for a "just and lasting peace", the statement said.

Erdogan also spoke of "the importance of jointly contributing to the lifting of sanctions on Syria to restore stability, make the new administration functional and support normalisation," the statement said, adding that this would enable Syrians to return to their homeland.

Turkey also expects steps from the United States regarding the fight against terrorism, taking into account Turkey's interests, it said.

In the battle against Islamic State in Syria, the United States is allied with a Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey regards as a terrorist group. Turkey has sharply criticised this U.S. stance as a betrayal of a NATO ally.

Erdogan said it was necessary to end CAATSA sanctions, finalise Ankara's F-16 procurement process and its re-participation in the F-35 programme in order to develop defence industry cooperation between Turkey and the United States.

Ankara's past purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems prompted U.S. sanctions and Turkey's removal from the F-35 fighter jet programme in 2019.

(Additional reporting by Can Sezer; Writing by Daren Butler, Editing by Louise Heavens)