Turkey and US Hold Talks on F-35 Jets as S-400 Issue Persists — The United States has maintained discussions about supplying F-35 fighters to Turkey, although restrictions related to Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems continue to complicate the deal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that President Donald Trump wants to move forward with transferring aircraft for which Turkey has already paid. Yet federal legislation prevents the sale until security requirements connected to Turkey’s 2017 agreement with Moscow are met, reflecting US concerns about NATO interoperability and the risk of Russian intelligence gaining access to sensitive Western aircraft information. Turkey’s roughly $2.5 billion S-400 deal also led to a US mandate in 2020 under CAATSA, which imposes penalties for significant transactions with Russia’s defense industry. Turkish Deputy Defense Minister Alpaslan Kavaklıoğlu indicated that negotiations with American officials are progressing, including discussions over six F-35 aircraft currently stored in the United States and the potential lifting of sanctions. The jets had been produced and used for pilot training before Washington removed Turkey from the international F-35 program in 2019.
