Dubai / Ankara — Al Bayan / Agencies
US President Donald Trump's visit to Ankara to attend the NATO summit marked a significant policy shift, as he announced that the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and the lifting of sanctions imposed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) — levied over Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defence system — would be reconsidered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly pushed back, urging Washington not to sell the jets to Ankara or provide it with military support, arguing that doing so would undermine his ambitions — apparently overlooking the fact that Trump is driven by a need to assert himself and that he alone makes the decisions. Turkish President Erdoğan said Trump always keeps his promises.
To the backdrop of fighter jets flying overhead, Erdoğan welcomed his American counterpart Donald Trump in Ankara with great fanfare for the NATO summit. Trump affirmed that he and Erdoğan share a very strong relationship, and that had the NATO summit not been held in Ankara under this strong president's leadership, he would not have attended.
Trump added: "I will do something that will make Erdoğan happy," noting that Turkey is a powerful country with soldiers, military equipment, and development across various fields, and that thanks to the strong relationship with Erdoğan, everything between the two countries had gone well so far.
Trump appeared alongside his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before being asked about the possibility of selling F-35 fighters to Turkey, which he described as a "loyal ally" — adding "more so than other countries" — and confirmed: "We will have to make a decision regarding the sale of the jets."
He added that he had no concern whatsoever about Turkey obtaining F-35s or any other aircraft, and that Turkey was also entitled to receive upgrade and maintenance equipment for the aircraft it had purchased from the United States.
He continued: "Turkey bought aircraft from us — I think we have an obligation to maintain their engines." Trump said: "Because of me, Turkey did not intervene in the war against Iran. Turkey did not enter the war against Israel."
For his part, Erdoğan indicated that good news could be announced during the NATO summit on Wednesday, adding: "We will hear good news during the summit regarding President Trump's announcement, and I trust him to keep his promises."
Ankara expects this step to fully remove obstacles to Turkish-American defence cooperation, and has long sought from the Trump administration the removal of these sanctions, which Trump himself had imposed in late 2020.
Amid these developments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that any US sale of F-35 jets to Turkey would "upend the balance of power" in the Middle East.
In an interview with the American news network CNN, he said: "Any such deal would upend the balance of power in the Middle East," claiming that Turkey, in his view, harbours aggressive ambitions.