Erdogan Can”: Trump Puts Türkiye at the Center of a Ukraine Peace Push
WASHINGTON / ANKARA — Fresh off Gaza diplomacy, President Donald Trump tossed a live wire into Europe’s biggest war: “Erdoğan can.” With three words, he floated Türkiye’s president as the closer who could help broker an off-ramp in Ukraine—because Ankara still talks to both Kyiv and Moscow.
Why this matters now: Türkiye is already wiring the U.S. relationship with energy deals (LNG to 2045, a civil-nucleartrack) and playing corridor-builder between East and West. A credible Turkish role in cease-fire scaffolding would lock in that momentum—and put Turkish-American business at the front of logistics, reconstruction, grain, ports, and compliance work when talks turn real.
What a real move looks like: quiet shuttle diplomacy first (prisoner exchanges, safety zones, energy/transit guarantees), then a public marker—a Türkiye-hosted contact round, or a multi-capital sequence. The U.S. provides cover fire on sanctions and security while Ankara tests what each side can live with.
What could blow it up: maximalist demands on day one; mixed messages from Washington; or domestic politics in Kyiv, Moscow, Ankara, and D.C. leaking before the ink is dry.
Bottom line: Trump just shifted the camera. If Erdoğan converts access into verifiable steps, Turkish-American readers will see it not only in headlines, but in contracts and corridors that follow.