Trump mustn’t trust Turkey strongman Recep Erdogan with our F-35 jets

President Donald Trump’s friendship with Turkish strongman Recep Erdogan is blinding him to some serious dangers and potentially paving the way for a disastrous sale of F-35 jets to Ankara.

After receiving a warm reception at the NATO summit in Turkey this week, Trump lifted sanctions on that country, which could allow it to buy F-35 stealth fighter jets and advanced jet engines from the United States.

Big mistake.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes President Donald Trump ahead of the North Atlantic Council meeting, held as part of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara on July 8, 2026. Anadolu via Getty Images

The sanctions were imposed on Erdogan’s government during Trump’s first term after Ankara acquired Russian S-400 air and missile-defense systems against US wishes.

There’s also a congressional ban on transferring the F-35s to Turkey unless it “no longer possesses” the Russian missile system and any components. Yet there’s no evidence that Erdogan has scrapped the Russian systems.

Allowing Erdogan to acquire these fighters will only further destabilize the Middle East and pose a grave threat to US and Israeli security.

A bipartisan group of members of Congress, including Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), has already fretted about the “significant national-security concerns.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, too, understandably opposes any sales, noting that it would “upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority” and “America’s posture” in the region.

A pair of F-35 B fighter jets prepare to land on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales, part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group in the High North, off the coast of Iceland. ZUMAPRESS.com

He’s dead right: The F-35 is arguably the world’s most powerful and versatile combat aircraft, and in the wrong hands, they could endanger US interests.

It’s notable, too, that under Erdogan, Turkey has been an enormously problematic NATO member, having aligned itself with US and NATO adversaries, such as Russia, deepened its partnerships with China and offered public support for groups like Hamas.

The Turkish strongman also uses the country’s judiciary and broad anti-terrorism laws to persecute his political opposition and target Kurds.

Yet sanctions and tariffs have managed to restrain him to some degree.

Now is not the time to let up. Sanctions need to be reimposed, and no F-35 sales allowed.