Trump to Lift Sanctions on Turkey, Expresses Intent to Sell F-35 Jets

(Central News Agency, Ankara, July 7 - Combined Reports) U.S. President Donald Trump announced today that he will lift sanctions imposed by the United States due to Turkey's purchase of Russian air defense missiles, and expressed his intention to sell F-35 fighter jets to the NATO ally. This move is likely to face strong opposition in the U.S. Congress.

According to Reuters, this is the first visit by a U.S. president to Turkey in 11 years. Upon arrival at the airport, Trump was welcomed with a grand state ceremony by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which Turkish cavalry escorted Trump's motorcade to the presidential palace.

The two leaders praised each other in their public remarks. During Trump's tenure, Turkey's deteriorating human rights record has never been an issue of concern for Washington.

Speaking to reporters at the Turkish presidential palace, Trump repeatedly praised Erdogan, saying they had "great chemistry" and that relations between Washington and Ankara had never been better. In contrast, U.S.-Turkey relations were more distant during the previous administration of President Biden, and the current warm interactions represent an almost complete turnaround.

Despite the improved relations, Turkey's procurement of the Russian S-400 system in 2019, followed by Washington's imposition of sanctions on a major Turkish defense company in 2020 and Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, have long been sticking points in bilateral relations. While resolving these issues could remove major friction points in the relationship, military sales of the aircraft remain blocked under current U.S. law.

Trump's visit to Turkey is to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. Before meeting with Erdogan, he stated, "We are going to lift the sanctions. It's time. We don't want to sanction friends." He added that his Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary were working on the matter.

When asked if he was concerned about Ankara still possessing the Russian S-400, Trump said he was not. He stated, "I have no concerns about anything that is with Turkey. I think our relationship right now with Turkey is probably better than it has ever been."

Trump also indicated that he might support Turkey's purchase of F-35 stealth fighter jets, although he did not specify how he would proceed with such a deal given opposition from the U.S. Congress.

"Turkey is more loyal in many ways than other countries that we think would be loyal... It's a great airplane, it's the best, the top airplane by far. That is certainly something we will be looking at," Trump said.

Erdogan also expressed hope for a positive outcome regarding Ankara's desire to procure F-35 fighter jets. Erdogan stated, "We had previously discussed this matter with the United States and were promised 5 fighter jets. I know Mr. Trump has always kept his promises."

The U.S. Congress passed a law in late 2019 prohibiting the sale of any F-35 fighter jets to Turkey as long as it possessed the S-400 system, citing security risks the Russian system would pose to U.S.-made aircraft. Currently, under U.S. law, Turkey must not operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Republican Congressman Mike Lawler and Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, sent a letter to Trump last week expressing their "grave concerns" about the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, citing U.S. law and mentioning Turkey's relations with Iran and "anti-Israel rhetoric."

Republican Senator John Cornyn posted on social media platform X early this morning, "I hope this is not true," referring to a report about Trump's intention to sell F-35 fighter jets. (Compiled by: Chang Hsiao-wen) 1150708

Stand with facts, your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom

Download the CNA "One-Stop News" APP for real-time updates

Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.