President Trump said Thursday he is “very disappointed” in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for not freeing a U.S. pastor held in Turkey after the U.S. helped Turkey free one of its citizens in Israel.
“I got somebody back for him,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “I’m very disappointed in him, but we’ll see how it all works out.”
Trump has frequently attacked Turkey over the status of Andrew Brunson, a Christian pastor who has been imprisoned in Turkey on charges of espionage and terrorism.
{mosads}Trump’s comments Thursday come after he told Reuters last week that he thought Erdogan would release Brunson as part of a deal they made after Trump helped Erdogan free the Turkish citizen in Israel.
“I think it’s very sad what Turkey is doing,” Trump said.
“I think they’re making a terrible mistake. There will be no concessions,” he added.
Ankara has denied agreeing to release Brunson.
Earlier this month, Trump announced he would double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey until the country releases the pastor. Turkey responded by slapping another round of tariffs on U.S. goods.
Turkey also hit the U.S. with tariffs earlier this year in response to the first round of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that Trump imposed on the European Union in May.