Trump announces lifting of sanctions on Türkiye at NATO summit, hints at possible sale of F-35 fighter jets

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of Russian air defense systems and said his administration was also considering allowing the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, signaling a possible shift in U.S.-Turkey defense ties.Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump announced that sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) would be lifted.“We’re going to lift the sanctions,” Trump told reporters when asked about measures implemented under CAATSA, adding that members of his Cabinet were already working on the process.The announcement comes nearly six years after Washington imposed sanctions on Türkiye following Ankara’s purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense system. The move also resulted in Türkiye withdrawing from the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program, despite Ankara being both a customer and a production partner.Trump also said his administration was open to resuming Türkiye’s acquisition of fifth-generation fighter jets. Asked about the potential sale of the F-35, Trump said: “That’s a decision we have to make.”Earlier, he also said the proposal was still under active consideration. Trump praised Ankara’s ties with Washington, saying Türkiye had shown greater loyalty than several other U.S. allies.“In many ways, Türkiye is much more loyal than other countries we consider loyal,” he said. Speaking about the plane itself, Trump added, “It’s a great airplane, the best, the best airplane by far. We’ll definitely look at it.”He reiterated the same stance later in the meeting. “We have a better relationship with Türkiye, which is in many ways more loyal than other countries we consider loyal.”While lifting CAATSA sanctions will remove a major hurdle, Türkiye still needs to clear some legal and political hurdles before fully rejoining the F-35 program.Erdogan welcomed Trump’s comments and expressed confidence that Washington would eventually approve the deal. The Turkish president said at a joint press conference that he hopes the United States will sell F-35 aircraft to Turkey because “the American president always keeps his promises.”Erdogan also said that the two leaders would discuss the sale of jet engines for Türkiye’s domestically produced “Kahn” fighter jet program. He added that Türkiye hopes Trump will “repeat the positive messages he has given before” regarding support for Turkish defense projects.Türkiye’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system remains one of the biggest friction points in U.S.-Turkey relations since 2019. In response, Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on a major Turkish defense company in 2020 and formally removed Ankara from the multinational F-35 program, a decision that Turkey has repeatedly called unjust.