US President Donald Trump said he will lift sanctions on Turkey and make a decision on selling the country F-35 fighter jets, a step that could move Ankara closer to regaining access to the stealth fighter program it was removed from in 2019.
One possible solution under discussion would involve Turkey sending its Russian-made S-400 air defense system to a third country, but no deal has been reached.
Trump made the comments on July 7, 2026, as he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a NATO summit in Ankara.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about the measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
Trump also said he would make a decision on a possible F-35 sale to Turkey.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said, according to Reuters.
The comments mark one of the clearest signs yet that the Trump administration wants to move Turkey back toward the F-35 after years of US opposition. But the aircraft still cannot be transferred to Turkey while Ankara keeps the S-400 system.
Turkey was removed from the Lockheed Martin F-35 program in 2019 after it bought the S-400 from Russia. The US said the Russian system created an unacceptable security risk because it could expose sensitive F-35 capabilities, including the aircraft’s stealth characteristics.
Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey in 2020 over the S-400 purchase.
The US Congress also passed restrictions in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that block F-35 transfers to Turkey unless the US government certifies that Turkey no longer possesses the S-400 system
Reuters reported that transferring the S-400 to a third country has gained traction as a possible way to resolve the issue. But such a transfer could face resistance from Russia, which often places end-user restrictions on major arms exports.
Turkey had been a partner in the F-35 program before its removal and had planned to buy the aircraft for its air force. Turkish companies also made components for the aircraft before Washington moved to unwind Ankara’s role.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged congressional leaders to block any F-35 sale to Turkey while the country still holds the S-400. Lawmakers have argued that Turkey’s possession of the Russian system remains incompatible with receiving the US-made stealth fighter.
Israel has also raised concerns about a possible F-35 sale to Turkey, according to Axios. Israel operates the F-35I Adir and has long sought to preserve its military edge in the region.
While Ankara has spent years trying to regain access to the F-35, Turkey has also moved ahead with plans to buy Eurofighter Typhoons and is developing the Turkish Aerospace KAAN, its own domestic fifth-generation fighter program.
The Trump administration recently moved forward with a proposed $700 million sale of General Electric F110 engines to Turkey for the KAAN program. That sale signaled a broader effort to improve defense ties with Ankara ahead of the NATO summit.