Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism over the delivery of US-made F-35 fighter jets, describing President Donald Trump as “well-intentioned” on resolving the issue, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Speaking at a news conference in The Hague following the NATO summit on Wednesday, Erdoğan said, “We discussed the F-35 issue. We made payments of $1.3 to $1.4 billion for the jets, and we saw that Mr. Trump was well-intentioned about delivering them.”
Erdoğan and Trump met Tuesday on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit. The meeting covered the longstanding dispute over Turkey’s removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019 after Ankara purchased Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. At the time Washington said the move compromised the security of the stealth jet and led to Turkey’s exclusion from the program.
Speaking to reporters on his return flight from the Netherlands, Erdoğan said Turkish and US teams are continuing technical discussions on both the F-35 issue and the modernization and maintenance of Turkey’s F-16 aircraft.
The US Congress approved a $23 billion F-16 sale and upgrade package for Turkey in 2024, but talks with Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor producing the jets, are ongoing.
Reaffirming Ankara’s position on the fighter jet program, Erdoğan said, “We have not given up on the F-35s. We are discussing our intention to rejoin the project with our counterparts. The F-35 is as much a political process as a technical one.”
He also said Trump had shown an interest in renewed diplomatic engagement. “We conveyed to Mr. Trump our region’s need for more peace, stability and prosperity, and we expect his support. He responded positively to our proposals,” Erdoğan said.
“Together with my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new chapter in Turkish-American relations,” he added.
“In our communication, phone diplomacy has never taken longer than 24 hours. If we call, there is always a response within the day. And I must say the new US ambassador to Turkey is also highly responsive on these matters,” he said, referring to US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack.
Erdoğan and Trump have been enjoying warm relations since Trump began his second term in office in January. Trump has publicly praised Erdoğan on several occasions, describing him as a “good leader” and “very smart” and that he happens to like him and Erdoğan likes him, too.
On the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Erdoğan said Trump was willing to visit Turkey for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, telling him if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to İstanbul or Ankara for a solution, he will come as well. Erdoğan said preparations would be begun to coordinate such a meeting.
Russian and Ukrainian officials met in İstanbul in May for their first talks to reach a truce since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, but the talks failed.
Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin was “afraid” of meeting and criticized Russia for not taking the talks “seriously.”
Erdoğan also welcomed a growing consensus on increasing defense spending at the NATO summit. Turkey, he said, plans to raise its defense budget gradually from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP over the next decade, funded through national resources.
At The Hague summit, NATO leaders committed to spending 5 percent of annual output on defense by 2035 in line with a demand from Trump, who has long been complaining that Europe spends too little on its own defense.
“Many allies are aligning with us in taking on greater responsibility in the face of threats and challenges,” Erdoğan said. “But boosting the alliance’s effectiveness requires more than defense spending alone. Mutual understanding and sincere cooperation among allies must also be strengthened.”
Erdoğan said Turkey, which he described as the NATO member most exposed to terrorism and regional crises, has worked to avoid direct involvement in conflicts while continuing to build military deterrence. He cited recent advances in Turkey’s domestic defense industry as a sign of strategic progress.