US envoy says ‘fruitful’ talks held with Turkey on F-35s, Russian air defense system
Washington has so far barred Ankara from receiving stealth fighters over its use of S-400 defense systems, fearing information leak on its advanced aircraft
The US ambassador to Turkey said Tuesday that the countries were holding “fruitful” talks on the potential sale of F-35 jets to Ankara, which has been barred from buying the advanced stealth fighters since acquiring the S-400 air defense system from Russia.
“As laid out in US law, Turkey must no longer operate nor possess the S-400 system to return to the F-35 program,” Ambassador Tom Barrack wrote on X.
“The positive relationship between President Trump and President Erdogan has created a new atmosphere of cooperation, which has led to the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.”
He added: “Our hope is that these talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months that meets both the security requirements of the United States and Turkey.”
During US President Donald Trump’s first term, the US removed Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program, after Ankara purchased the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia. US officials worried that Turkey’s use of the missile defense system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
Israel has expressed concern in the past over the potential sale of the advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and other nearby countries, as it is anxious to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region.
Today, Israel is the only country in the Middle East with F-35s in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the aircraft with another 30 units on order.
However, Trump recently announcement the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, sparking worry in the Jewish state. US officials and defense experts have told Reuters that the jets to be sold to the Saudis will be less advanced than those used by the IDF.
Turkey is one of the world’s most outspoken critics of Israel, with President Recept Tayyip Erdogan often accusing Israel of genocide over the past two years of war, comparing it to Nazi Germany and likening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Erdogan has also cozied up to Hamas over the years, hosting top officials and calling the terror group “freedom fighters.”
Anxious to bolster its air power, Turkey has proposed to European partners and the US ways it could swiftly obtain advanced fighter jets as it seeks to make up ground on regional rivals such as Israel.
The NATO member, which has the alliance’s second-largest military, has aimed to leverage its best relations with the West in years to add to its aging fleet 40 Eurofighter Typhoons, for which it inked a preliminary agreement in July, and later also US-made F-35 jets.
Strikes by Israel — the Middle East’s most advanced military with hundreds of US-supplied F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighters — on Turkey’s neighbors Iran and Syria, as well as on Lebanon and Qatar, unnerved Ankara in the last year. They laid bare key vulnerabilities, prompting its push for rapid air power reinforcement to counter any potential threats and not be left exposed, officials have said.
For the Typhoons, Turkey is nearing a deal with Britain and other European countries. Acquiring the advanced F-35s has proven trickier for Ankara.
Erdogan failed to make headway on the issue at a White House meeting with Trump last month. But Turkey still aims to capitalize on the two leaders’ good personal ties and Erdogan’s help in convincing Hamas to sign Trump’s Gaza ceasefire agreement, to eventually reach a deal.
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