ANKARA, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will lift sanctions on Turkey imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, and signaled he is willing to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to the NATO ally.
The move, announced during the NATO summit in Ankara, removes a major irritant in US-Turkish relations and marks a significant shift in Washington’s posture toward a country that has long balanced between Western alliances and Russian arms deals.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters before meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace. He added that his secretary of state and Treasury secretary were working on the process.
On the F-35, Trump was blunt: “Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal. It’s a great plane, it’s the best, currently the best plane by far. And it’s certainly something we will consider.”
The legal problem
Congress passed a law prohibiting F-35 sales to Turkey as long as Ankara retains the S-400s, arguing the Russian system poses a security risk to US-made combat aircraft. Trump did not explain how a sale would circumvent that law.
One emerging solution: send the Russian S-400 system to a third country. Sources familiar with the matter said this approach has gained traction in recent weeks, though no agreement has been sealed. It remains unclear whether Russia would accept such a transfer given its end-user obligations in weapons sales.
What led here
Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 system in 2019. In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on a major Turkish defense company under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and removed Turkey from the F-35 program, where Ankara had been a production partner.
The sanctions were a lasting source of tension, even as US-Turkish relations warmed under Trump. Erdogan has long pushed for reinstatement in the F-35 program.
First US presidential visit in 11 years
Trump’s trip to Turkey is the first by a US president in 11 years. Erdogan welcomed him with cannons, cavalry, and jets trailing red, white, and blue smoke. Both leaders offered lavish public praise.
“Sometimes you get along with the toughest people, like him,” Trump said, gesturing to Erdogan.
Under Trump, Turkey’s deteriorating human rights record has not been a topic of public concern for Washington. The move to lift sanctions rewards a NATO partner that Trump considers personally loyal, a standard he has applied unevenly across the alliance.
The announcement comes as Trump has publicly criticized other NATO allies for refusing to back the United States during its conflict with Iran. Turkey, by contrast, has maintained close ties with both Washington and Moscow throughout the war.
Sources: Defense News / Reuters (July 7, 2026), AP