Erdogan stated that he expects good news regarding the US sale of aircraft and engines to Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that he believes a deal for Ankara to purchase American F-35 fighter jets and American-made jet engines for Turkey's flagship KAAN fighter jets is close to being finalized, reports UNN citing CNN.

Speaking about the F-35 during a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Erdogan said Turkey was "promised five aircraft."

"We believe that President Trump also made a separate promise on this matter... and we hope that the news we received earlier will be productively reviewed in the future," the Turkish leader said.

"President Trump has always been a man of his word, and hopefully, regarding the F-35, we will have a fruitful outcome and a decision at this summit of leaders," he added.

Speaking about American-made engines for Turkish KAAN fighter jets, Erdogan said he believes Trump "gave us some good news, and I believe he will repeat this good news again, and I think with this good news, I will likely thank him during this summit."

Trump said he will soon decide whether to sell aircraft to Turkey, despite a congressional ban. He also said he would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system.

Recall

As The New York Times reported, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is ready to revive a program that would allow the country to purchase American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, lifting a ban that Trump himself imposed seven years ago on national security grounds.