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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Donald Trump to reinstate Turkey in the F-35 fighter jet program.
According to him, this action would strengthen ties with Washington and strengthen NATO's security.
The Turkish president has stressed his intention to use his relationship with Donald Trump to repair bilateral ties that were strained after Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. He said the convergence of priorities between Ankara and Washington - on defense, energy and regional conflicts - is redefining how Turkey balances between NATO and Russia.
Erdogan said he personally raised the issue with Trump during a meeting at the White House in September, calling the decision to exclude Turkey from the program over its purchase of Russian military equipment “unfair.” With Trump’s return to the White House, he added, there was an “opportunity” for a more realistic and constructive basis for relations. He stressed that the acquisition of the F-35s, for which Ankara has already paid, and its re-entry into the program were “important and necessary” for both bilateral relations and the Alliance’s defensive security.
In this context, Turkey is seeking the return of the S-400 to Russia, with Erdogan raising the issue with Vladimir Putin, in a sign of an effort to restore defense cooperation with the United States, which he describes as a “central pillar” of bilateral relations. The US ambassador to Ankara, Tom Barrack, has estimated that the issue could be closed within a few months.
At the same time, Turkey is negotiating the purchase of F-16 Block 70s, with Erdogan expecting conditions "in line with the spirit of the Alliance," while citing the Eurofighter procurement as an example.
Balancing between Russia and NATO allies since the start of the war in Ukraine, Ankara has avoided imposing sanctions on Moscow but has limited its naval presence in the Black Sea and sent weapons to Kiev. Erdogan stressed that Turkey remains a potential mediator for future peace talks.
In the Middle East, he referred to Turkey's role after the October ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and argued that an International Stabilization Force in Gaza would hardly gain legitimacy without Turkish participation, declaring readiness to "assume all responsibility" for a lasting peace.
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