US President Donald Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during this week’s NATO summit, which opened in Ankara on Tuesday, that he is ready to support Turkey’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program, The New York Times reported.
The move would mark a major reversal of a decision made during Trump’s first term, when Washington removed Turkey from the US-led Joint Strike Fighter program over Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.
The F-35 is an advanced stealth fighter developed by the United States with several partner countries, including Turkey. Washington removed Ankara from the program in 2019, saying the Russian S-400 system could be used to gather intelligence on the aircraft’s stealth capabilities and other sensitive technology.
The Times, citing four senior administration officials, said Trump was expected to at least signal his intention to find a way to allow Turkey to obtain the jets, although the timing and mechanism remain unclear.
Officials cautioned that Trump could still change course. One option discussed, according to the report, is an exchange of letters between Trump and Erdoğan to begin the process.
Trump was due to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday for the July 7-8 NATO summit hosted by Erdoğan. The summit will bring together leaders of the alliance’s 32 member states at a time of tension over defense spending, Ukraine, Iran and the future of US leadership inside NATO.
Trump last month suggested he could take steps that would please Erdoğan when asked whether Turkey could regain access to F-35s and obtain US-made engines for its KAAN fighter jet project.
“I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy,” Trump told reporters at the time.
Vice President JD Vance later said any sale of F-35s to Turkey would require compliance with US law and approval from Congress.
“This is really a congressional thing, and ensuring that Turkey has complied with American law, so they can get the F-35,” Vance said.
A key obstacle is a US law passed by Congress in 2020 that bars the sale of F-35s to Turkey unless the administration certifies that Ankara no longer possesses the S-400 system.
The Times said one option under discussion would involve transferring Turkey’s S-400s to a third party. Another possibility would be making the system unusable by removing key components, although officials said no final mechanism had been agreed.
A previous idea to transfer the S-400s to Ukraine did not move forward, and such a move is seen as unlikely now because both Trump and Erdoğan would probably resist sending the Russian-made system to Kyiv.
Turkey has sought for years to return to the F-35 program but has resisted giving up the S-400s. The dispute also led Washington to impose sanctions on Turkey’s defense procurement agency under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Those sanctions remain in place.
Turkey had helped produce parts for the F-35 and had also paid for aircraft that were never delivered. According to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the Times, those jets remain in the United States.
Congressional opposition could still block Trump’s effort. Some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have been skeptical of returning Turkey to the program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also opposed the idea. Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Netanyahu urged Washington not to sell F-35s to Turkey, accusing Erdoğan of hostility toward Israel and of threatening regional allies.
Turkey’s F-35 push is also linked to its efforts to obtain General Electric F110 engines for early versions of KAAN, its domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet.
Ankara says KAAN is central to its effort to reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers, but the aircraft’s early versions are expected to depend on US-made engines until Turkey develops a domestic alternative.
Analysts say progress on KAAN engines may be easier than a quick return to the F-35 program because the fighter jet issue would require resolving the S-400 dispute and overcoming resistance in Congress.
Trump’s possible shift comes as he seeks closer ties with Erdoğan, whom he has repeatedly praised. The president said he was attending the Ankara summit because Erdoğan was hosting it and had asked him to come.
Trump is expected to meet with Erdoğan soon after arriving from Washington on Tuesday. He is also expected to have talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday before leaving Turkey.