US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Washington will lift sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems and signaled a willingness to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, a move virtually certain to provoke fierce opposition in Congress.
Speaking to reporters at the Turkish presidential palace ahead of a bilateral meeting, Trump lavished praise on his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stating he felt “great rapport” with the Turkish leader and declaring that bilateral relations are currently at their best point in history. The remarkable warmth marks a stark departure from the often-tense dynamic that characterized US-Turkish ties under former President Joe Biden.
Despite the apparent thaw, the unresolved issues of Turkey’s S-400 battery ownership, the 2020 CAATSA sanctions targeting a major Turkish defense entity, and Ankara’s expulsion from the multinational F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program remain deeply contentious. Resolving these sticking points would be pivotal to stabilizing the NATO alliance’s southeastern flank. However, current US statutory law explicitly prohibits the transfer of F-35s to any nation operating Russian-made S-400 systems, citing the risk of compromising the stealth fighter’s sensitive technology.
Trump, in Turkey for the NATO summit, told journalists: “It’s time. We don’t want to punish our friends. The Secretaries of State and the Treasury are working on it.” When pressed on whether he harbored any concerns regarding Ankara’s continued retention of the Russian system, the US president dismissed the inquiry outright. “I have no concerns about anything with regard to Turkey,” he asserted. “I can assure you that the relationship with Turkey is better now than it has ever been.”
Trump further expressed optimism about re-engaging Turkey in the F-35 program, though he offered no immediate roadmap for circumventing the statutory restrictions and expected congressional pushback. “Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we thought were loyal,” Trump remarked. “This plane is fantastic… It’s currently the best by far. And we’ll certainly look into it.”
Trump’s visit marks the first time a sitting US president has set foot in Turkey in eleven years, underscoring the symbolic weight of his diplomatic overture.
Nevertheless, the legislative reality remains a significant roadblock. Congress has codified into law a ban on F-35 sales to Ankara so long as the S-400 system remains operational within Turkish territory, deeming the combined use a fundamental security vulnerability for the American-made joint strike fighter. Under the current legal framework, Ankara cannot rejoin the program while retaining the Russian battery, leaving the administration’s promises hanging in the balance of a potentially fierce legislative battle.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)