US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had not decided whether to readmit Turkey to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan avoided saying how Ankara would remove the Russian S-400 missile system that US law still treats as the main obstacle to any sale.
Asked what Trump had told him about the F-35s and what Turkey would do to no longer possess the S-400s, Erdoğan did not answer directly and told Reuters correspondent Hümeyra Pamuk, “Stay tuned.”
Trump’s comment came at a press conference during the NATO summit in Ankara, one day after he said his administration would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of the S-400 system. Asked whether he had decided on bringing Turkey back into the F-35 program, Trump said he had not made up his mind but praised Erdoğan, saying the Turkish leader had helped the United States “in so many different ways.”
Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Thursday welcomed Trump’s remarks on the sanctions, saying Ankara expected the removal of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) measures and all open or indirect limits on the Turkish defense industry, which it called incompatible with the spirit of the alliance.
The S-400 obstacle
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after taking delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system despite US warnings that the system could expose data from the stealth aircraft to Moscow. Washington imposed sanctions in 2020 on Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industry under CAATSA.
The sanctions are only part of the problem. A provision in the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act bars the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey unless the administration certifies to Congress that Turkey no longer possesses the S-400 system, related equipment and personnel and has pledged not to acquire another system that could compromise the aircraft.
That requirement means Trump cannot restore Turkey to the program by announcement alone. Congress would remain a barrier, and lawmakers from both parties have warned against any F-35 transfer while the S-400 issue remains unresolved.
Regional opposition
The prospect of a sale has also prompted criticism from Israel and Greece. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in a CNN interview that giving F-35s to the Erdoğan government would fuel aggression, while Greek officials have pointed to the S-400-related legal limits and the military balance in the eastern Mediterranean.
The dispute leaves Ankara with a diplomatic opening but no clear path. Trump has signaled that he wants to remove sanctions and consider a sale, but Erdoğan’s answer to the S-400 question underscored the issue that continues to block Turkey’s return to the program.