According to Reuters report on July 7, during the NATO summit, U.S. President Trump stated during his bilateral meeting with Turkish President Erdogan that the United States would lift sanctions against Turkey and make a final decision on the potential plan to resume the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey. This announcement indicates a significant turning point in the U.S.-Turkey defense relations, which have been in a stalemate due to Turkey’s procurement of Russian-made weapons.
"I can tell you that we will be lifting the sanctions on Turkey, and we don't want to impose sanctions on our friends. It's as simple as that." Trump stated. When asked about the punishment measures implemented under the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (CAATSA), he did not reveal a specific timetable, just emphasizing it was a "decision soon to be made". The two sides also plan to exchange opinions on other topics such as expanding bilateral trade.
On July 7, 2026, local time, in Ankara, Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a welcome ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump. Oriental IC
In 2017, Turkey reached an agreement with Russia to purchase Russian S-400 air defense missile systems. The United States demanded that Turkey abandon Russian air defense systems in favor of purchasing American Patriot systems. When this request was rejected, the United States expelled Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program and imposed sanctions on Turkish defense officials. Relations between the two countries then cooled down. Turkey has consistently maintained that the decision was “unfair and illegal,” and has repeatedly sought to rejoin the program.
It is worth mentioning that Trump himself was lukewarm towards this ban at the time, attributing the situation to the Obama administration. He also expressed empathy for Erdogan, saying that it was because the then-U.S. government refused to sell Turkey the ‘Patriot’ missile system that Turkey had to turn towards Russia. Turkey was ‘forced into such a difficult position’.
Although Trump himself has shown strong support, according to two sources familiar with the matter, reinitiating military sales still faces dual obstacles at the legal and congressional levels, and these obstacles have not been completely removed.
On July 2, several Republican and Democratic lawmakers jointly wrote to Trump, stating, “We are writing to express our deep concerns about any attempts to sell F-35 jets to Turkey.” “Given President Erdogan’s ongoing aggressive behavior towards our most important partners, and the troubling defense partnerships he has established with our adversaries, selling F-35 jets to Turkey does not serve our best interests.”
December 12, 2016, an F-35 fighter jet was parked at the Netaim Air Force Base in Israel. Xinhua News Agency
However, a European diplomat told the American media outlet The Hill that focusing too much on the F-35 is a mistake. The military sale of the $700 million F110 jet engine is a greater risk. This deal will help Turkey develop its own domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jets, the “Khan,” and expand its military client base worldwide.
Previously, media reports indicated that the Turkish government intends to take advantage of Trump's attendance at the summit to finalize an order for dozens of F110 turbofan engines produced by General Electric Company in the United States, which will be used to equip Turkey’s self-developed “Khan” twin-engine stealth fighters.
In a notice submitted to the U.S. Congress later in the evening of June 24, the U.S. State Department stated: "The U.S. government is ready to issue licenses for the export of these fighter jet engines, taking into consideration factors such as politics, military, economics, human rights, and arms control."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with American media on July 7, called on Trump not to provide Turkey with F-35 fighter jets or engines. He argued that "this would disrupt the power balance in the Middle East, and the current situation is ultimately maintained by Israel's air superiority and the United States' military deployments in the Middle East."
Israel's Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, echoed this statement. "There are occasional differences between the US and Israel, but these differences have their reasons. Turkey should not receive the F-35s; that is our public stance," he said at an event held by the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations on the 6th.
