Trump ready to lift ban on sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey - NYT

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to inform Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is ready to revive a program allowing the country to purchase American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, reversing a ban that Trump himself imposed seven years ago on national security grounds, The New York Times reports, writes UNN.

Details

But Trump's policy shift — as he heads to the NATO summit in Ankara this week and has said he is preparing to bring a gift that will "greatly please" Erdogan — may face resistance in the U.S. Congress, which could try to block it.

Four senior administration officials described the upcoming policy change after weeks of behind-the-scenes work by national security officials to break the deadlock. Although the officials differed somewhat on the details of how Trump would try to circumvent congressional restrictions and legislative limits on his actions, they said they expect Trump to at least signal his intention to transfer the fighter jets to Turkey, though it is unclear when.

It is unclear exactly what Trump will say, and officials warned that he could change his mind. He is unpredictable even to his own staff, the publication notes. But administration officials suggested that an exchange of letters on the matter could take place between the two leaders to start the process. When a White House spokesperson was asked to comment on the situation, she pointed to the U.S. president's previous comments.

In 2019, during Trump's first term, Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program because it purchased advanced S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia. At the time, Washington feared that Turkey could train the S-400 on the provided F-35s, and that Russia would learn how to handle the fighter's stealth systems and other missile evasion capabilities.

But, the publication writes, Erdogan is among the strongman leaders that Trump most admires, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance recently stated that Trump ordered administration officials to find a way to get the Turkish leader the planes he has made clear he wants.

They must overcome a law passed by Congress in 2020 that blocks the sale of F-35s unless the administration concludes that Turkey no longer possesses the Russian systems.

It appears that to achieve this goal, Turkey's S-400s, many of which are still in shipping containers, could be transferred to a third party, according to one administration official who was actively involved in the negotiations.

A second official said the mechanism has not yet been developed. Four years ago, there were talks about transferring the missiles to Ukraine, where they could be used to counter Russian attacks, but those efforts failed. "It seems unlikely that Trump or Erdogan would want to sell powerful Russian systems to Ukraine today. There is talk of making these systems inoperable, possibly by removing key components," the publication states.

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the F-35 fighters paid for by Turkey but never delivered are being stored in the United States.

Trump will arrive in Ankara on Tuesday at a delicate moment for the transatlantic alliance. Trump plans to meet with Erdogan immediately after arriving from Washington on Tuesday. He is then expected to attend a dinner with other NATO leaders. On Wednesday, he will attend a working session and then hold a press conference before departing Turkey.

Erdogan calls on US to return Turkey to F-35 fighter program06.01.26, 03:42 • 5426 views