US President Donald Trump announced that his administration would lift sanctions on Turkiye and consider a decision on a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets. He made the remarks on Tuesday as he began a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit.
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Trump confirmed that Washington planned to remove the sanctions imposed on Ankara.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about the measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
The sanctions were introduced in 2020 after Turkiye acquired the Russian S-400 air defence system. As a result, Washington also removed Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet programme.
At the time, Turkiye described both decisions as unjust and illegal. Since then, the issue has remained a major point of disagreement between the two NATO allies.
Meanwhile, Trump also addressed the possibility of restoring defence cooperation through the F-35 programme.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said.
His remarks indicate that the US administration is considering the matter. However, no final decision has been announced yet.
Earlier, sources familiar with the matter said Trump was expected to support a potential F-35 sale to Turkiye during the visit. Even so, the proposal still faces legal and congressional hurdles before it can move forward.
Therefore, any agreement would require additional steps before becoming official.
Besides defence matters, Trump said he would also discuss trade with President Erdogan during their meeting.
“He said he and Erdogan would also discuss trade.”
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the NATO summit, where leaders gathered to discuss regional security and cooperation. As a result, the talks between Trump and Erdogan attracted significant attention because of their potential impact on US-Turkiye relations.
If the sanctions are removed, the move would mark a significant shift in Washington’s approach toward Ankara. Likewise, a favourable decision on the F-35 programme could reopen defence cooperation that has remained suspended since 2020.
For now, both issues remain under discussion. Nevertheless, Trump’s comments suggest that his administration is preparing to reconsider policies that have shaped US-Turkiye relations for several years.
