Erdogan secures nuclear energy deal with 'valued friend' Trump

The US and Turkey have signed an agreement to begin cooperation on strategic civil nuclear energy development, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced after leaving the White House on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump had earlier teased a "major announcement" after meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

The move is a win for Ankara, given President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not a popular figure in Washington under the previous Democratic administration. 

Two former US officials told Middle East Eye earlier this week that Trump planned to discuss nuclear power and mineral deals with Erdogan.

"We have started a new process that will further deepen the deep-rooted and multidimensional partnership between Türkiye and the United States in the field of nuclear energy," Bayraktar wrote on X.

Read more: Erdogan secures nuclear energy deal with 'valued friend' Trump