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(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump gave another strong indication that he may soon try to reverse his own ban on Turkey buying F-35 fighter jets from the US.
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“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said Tuesday, sitting alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. “Certainly something we will consider.”
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While the gathering of alliance leaders is fraught with tension this year, the two leaders have overseen an improvement in their countries’ relations and Trump said he’s only attending because of Erdogan. Trump is the first US president to visit Ankara in 17 years as the two countries pursue closer strategic ties, with an agenda spanning defense, energy, trade and regional security.
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The potential sale of jet engines and fighters to Turkey has been a sticking point between the two capitals. Trump had previously suggested he is open to selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, which Ankara was banned from acquiring after it bought a Russian S-400 air defense system in 2017. The US president said last month that he was headed to Turkey with something that would make Erdogan “very happy.”
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“You’ve been a great leader and a respected leader all over the world,” Trump said. “We’ve had right from the beginning good chemistry, we’ve had a very special relationship.”
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At their one-on-one Erdogan is expected to assure Trump of his backing for plans to develop energy projects and transit corridors in the Caucasus and Middle East, which could help reduce Russian and Iranian influence over regional energy routes, according to people familiar with the talks.
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As part of the reset, the US has been reviewing whether it can certify that Turkey has met the legal requirements for the sale of the F-35s, while continuing to insist Ankara relinquish its Russian S-400 missile defense systems, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Asked about the Russian system, Trump on Tuesday said he had “no concerns” about the US relationship with Turkey.
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Turkey is seeking relief from US sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. For that, the Trump administration must persuade lawmakers to amend the National Defense Authorization Act, which requires Turkey to cease ownership of the S-400 before US sanctions can be lifted.
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Trump said the US will be removing Turkey’s CAATSA sanctions: “We don’t want to sanction friends.”
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Erdogan echoed Trump’s optimism, saying he is hoping for a positive outcome on the entire issue this week.
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“F-35 is not a new topic for us,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “We talked about it with the US before and got the promise of five jets.”
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Ankara is open to a compromise that would provide the US with technical oversight of the S-400 system, but it is keen to keep the missiles in its arsenal for exceptional circumstances that could threaten Turkey’s national security, the people said.
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