US President Trump reportedly plans to visit Türkiye in May

United States President Donald Trump is considering adding Türkiye to his Middle East tour next month, CNN Arabic reported Thursday.

According to sources speaking to CNN , Trump is considering adding a stop in Türkiye after visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in May.

Meanwhile, the U.S. president is not expected to visit Israel during the trip, according to the sources.

No final decision has been made, and details are still being finalized, the sources said.

The senior White House official told CNN that Trump discussed the visit during a recent phone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On March 16, Erdogan and Trump held a phone conversation, during which the Turkish president expressed full confidence that Ankara and Washington will strengthen bilateral cooperation in a new era of relations, focusing on solidarity, a results-oriented approach, and sincerity.

Additionally, speculation has grown about a potential visit by Erdogan to the U.S. However, plans for his visit remain pending, with no confirmed date, Erdogan said on April 4.

Meanwhille, when asked about President Erdogan’s possible visit to the U.S. during an interview on CNN Turk Wednesday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, “The preparation is like this: it is an issue that the leaders have now declared their will. We are currently discussing when and where this will happen.”

When asked, “It could be in Türkiye or in the U.S.? In other words, Trump can come or Erdogan can go?” Fidan responded, “It can be both.”

Erdogan is ‘tough guy’: Trump

Trump has previously expressed positive views about his relationship with Erdogan.

“I have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader,” Trump said earlier this week, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

He described Erdogan as “a tough guy, and he’s very smart, and he did something that nobody was able to do,” referring to comments where he suggested that “it was Turkey” that orchestrated the downfall of Syria’s former long-time ruler, Bashar al-Assad.

If the visit occurs, it would mark Trump’s first presidential trip to Türkiye. His predecessors, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, both visited the country in 2004 and 2009 and 2015, respectively.