By maleeha zahid
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hopeful that Turkiye will rejoin the US F-35 fighter jet program. He believes former US President Donald Trump, now back in office, will honor a past agreement. Erdogan mentioned this while returning from a trip to Azerbaijan, according to the Anadolu state news agency. He added that the delivery of F-35 jets to Turkiye would happen gradually.
Turkiye was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 due to its purchase of Russia鈥檚 S-400 missile defense system. The move led to US sanctions on Turkiye鈥檚 defense sector a year later. However, with Trump鈥檚 return, both countries now seem interested in resolving the issue and rebuilding trust.
Erdogan did not share full details of the deal with Trump but called the step part of a 鈥済eo-economic revolution.鈥 He emphasized that the F-35 matter is not only about military technology. It also reflects the strength of Turkiye鈥檚 partnership with NATO and other global platforms.
The US ambassador to Ankara, Tom Barrack, recently hinted that sanctions could be lifted by the end of this year. He said Trump and Erdogan would direct their diplomats to find a solution. Barrack also believes Congress will support a smart and fair agreement between the allies.
Earlier this year, Erdogan spoke to Trump about finalizing a deal for both F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. Last month, he said Turkiye had already seen some easing of sanctions under Trump. He now sees a clearer path forward in restoring defense cooperation between the two nations.