Overview
- President Donald Trump said he would “certainly consider” approving F-35 fighter-jet sales to Turkey during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday, and he announced an intent to lift U.S. sanctions imposed after Turkey’s 2019 S-400 purchase.
- The administration has already notified Congress about separate F110 engine exports for Turkey’s KAAN fighter, showing limited defense cooperation has moved forward even as full F-35 restoration remains unsettled.
- U.S. law bars F-35 transfers to Turkey while it retains Russian S-400 air defenses, so any reversal would require legal waivers, formal certification that Turkey has divested the S-400s, and congressional sign-off.
- Israel’s prime minister publicly urged Trump not to approve an F-35 sale, arguing the jets would undermine Israel’s qualitative military edge, and Israeli officials have joined other allies in warning of regional security consequences.
- Policymakers are discussing technical fixes such as transferring Turkey’s S-400 system to a third country but no agreement has been reached, leaving the proposal subject to complex diplomatic, legal, and technical hurdles.