Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he and US President Donald Trump had productive conversations regarding the delivery of American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during a press conference in the Hague after a NATO summit on Wednesday.
“We discussed the F-35 [fighter jet] subject. We made payments of $1.3 to 1.4 billion for F-35s, and we saw that Mr. Trump was well-intentioned about delivering them,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan added that teams are continuing to work on the maintenance and modernization of their own F-16 fighter jets, as well as on procurement related to the F-35s.
Turkey was originally one of nine partner countries in the F-35 program, with a planned delivery of over 100 fighter jets to the Turkish air force; however, Turkey was removed from this program essentially for acquiring the Russian S-400 missile defense system in 2019.
Washington imposed sanctions on its NATO ally in 2020 over its purchase of the Russian systems, while also removing it from the F-35 program, where it was both a buyer and manufacturer. Turkey has repeatedly said its removal was unjust and demanded to be reinstated or reimbursed.
In order to lift the sanctions, the US Congress would need to amend the law, a step which could take years.
Since this law was passed, Israel has become the main F-35 user in the region, benefiting its defense companies.
Turkey, Israel tensions in Syria
Israel has become increasingly skeptical of Turkey, particularly of its role in Syria. The newfound Turkish influence in Damascus has raised Israeli concerns and risked a standoff or worse in Syria between the regional powers.
Turkey has been training and advising Syria’s armed forces to help improve its defenses, and has no immediate plans for the withdrawal or relocation of its troops stationed there, Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters in early June.
Israeli troops continue to operate on Syria’s border.
In written answers to questions from Reuters, Guler said Turkey and Israel, which carried out airstrikes on southern Syria in early June, are continuing de-confliction talks to avoid military accidents in the country.
Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.