Turkish Journalist Fired After Commenting on Trump-Erdogan Meeting

Turkish broadcaster NTV fired its Washington correspondent, Hüseyin Günay, after a video surfaced of him making sharp comments about the Trump-Erdogan meeting. The video, leaked by a pro-government outlet, sparked reactions in Ankara.

In the video, Günay commented on Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's stance on the engine issue for the domestically produced KAAN fighter jet, saying he "deliberately brought up the engine issue" due to internal competition for the succession of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. When asked about the talks, he responded with a vulgar expression.

Referring to the F-35s and CAATSA sanctions, Günay said that conditions were set that Turkey cannot fulfill. He also mentioned an internal dispute between Bilal Erdoğan, Hakan Fidan, and son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar.

The CAATSA law, passed in 2017, imposed sanctions on Turkey for purchasing the Russian S-400 system.