President Erdoğan appeared on Bret Baier's program to discuss Türkiye's policies, particularly regarding the genocide in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war.
When the host asked, "Do you consider what's happening in Gaza to be genocide?" Erdoğan replied, "There is no other way to explain this. This is a complete genocide. The perpetrator of this genocide is Netanyahu."
President Erdoğan added, "Netanyahu has brutally massacred tens of thousands in this genocide. As Türkiye, we are completely against this genocide," and explained that there are also over 125,000 wounded in Gaza, and they have brought a significant number of the wounded to Türkiye for treatment.
In response to Baier's question about the release of hostages held by Hamas, President Erdoğan stated it would be wrong to place the blame solely on Hamas, asking, "How can we disregard what Netanyahu has done?"
Noting that he has shown many photographs of the situation in Gaza during his speeches about Israel's attacks, Erdoğan said, "Can we say this: 'Is Hamas stronger than Israel in terms of weapons?' It is not possible. Israel is mercilessly using these weapons against everyone, from young to old, including women, children, and the elderly."
Responding to a question about ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Erdoğan said, "If you recall, Mr. Trump made a statement. He said, 'I will end the Russia-Ukraine war.' Did it end? It's still going on. In the same way, he said, 'I will end the Gaza war.' Has it ended? No."
When asked, Erdoğan stated that he does not see "Hamas as a terrorist organization," adding, "On the contrary, I see them as a resistance organization."
President Erdoğan also answered a question about how the F-35 process would be addressed during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.
Erdoğan recalled that Türkiye was a partner and producer in the F-35 program, and had paid $1.4 billion for F-35s, but the aircraft were never delivered.
President Erdoğan described the non-delivery of the aircraft that Türkiye had paid for as "not appropriate for a strategic partnership" and called "this step a mistake."
When asked if he expected the F-35s to be delivered to Türkiye after his meeting with Trump, Erdoğan replied, "We will discuss these issues again now," and stated that they would address the latest situation regarding both F-35s and F-16s during the meeting.
Regarding the development of trade between the two countries, President Erdoğan commented, "I believe it will reach a much better position, especially in the defense industry first. Besides that, relations between Türkiye and the US in the fields of industry and technology will increase."
President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye has a strong relationship with both Russia and Ukraine, saying, "We have important relations with both Russia and Ukraine. We have never been in a disunitive mindset with these countries. We never wanted the war to happen."
Stating that the war has caused significant losses for both Russia and Ukraine, Erdoğan said he does not think the war will end anytime soon.
President Erdoğan added that NATO could implement a more peaceful model with both Russia and Ukraine, similar to the approach Türkiye is taking.
Erdoğan stated that it is difficult for Ukraine to continue the war financially and that Europe cannot continue economic aid forever. He also noted that it is unclear how much support the US will provide to Kyiv.
Erdoğan also emphasized that Türkiye, a strong NATO member, has not been admitted to the European Union (EU) for over 50 years, describing it as an unfair approach.
