President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that Washington may greenlight the sale of top-end F‑35 fighter jets to Turkey, according to AFP.
Trump’s remarks came during an official visit by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who remains staunchly against this deal.
“We’re thinking about it very seriously,” Trump said when asked about an F-35 deal for Turkey as he met Netanyahu at the US leader’s Florida Club.
Sale of F‑35 Fighter Jets
Ankara sparked a sharp backlash from the Trump administration in 2019 by purchasing Russian S-400 missile systems.
As a result, President Donald Trump canceled a planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and removed it from the joint production program. Subsequently, Ankara secured a deal to purchase F-16 jets.
Turkey described the move as unfair and expressed optimism that it can collaborate with Washington and resolve the matter during Trump’s second term. Therefore, it can both buy the jets and return to the manufacturing program.
Israel & Turkey Conflict
As Israel and Turkey remain deeply divided over war‑scarred Syria, Israeli officials warned that supplying Ankara with F‑35s could tip the balance in any future conflict.
However, Trump assured that Erdogan is “a very good friend,” when asked about the prospect of a clash between Israel and Turkey.
“We’re not going have a problem,” Trump said of Israel and Turkey. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
Seeking Swift Resolution for Sanctions
Turkish Defense Ministry has recently said that Ankara and Washington were exploring a swift resolution to the CAATSA sanctions and the possibility for Turkey to rejoin the F-35 jet program, while maintaining respect to its possession of Russian S-400 air defenses.
Despite the fact that both Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintained close personal bonds during Trump’s 2017-21 term as president, their relationship witnessed frequent tensions due to certain disputes over US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria and Turkey’s growing relations with Moscow.
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