Tuesday July 28, 2026
Donald Trump has signalled he is ready to reconsider F-35 sales to Türkiye, dismissing Israeli objections and praising Ankara as a steadfast NATO ally.
The US president rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a possible sale of the fighter jets to Türkiye.
“Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.
Trump called Türkiye a “tremendous ally” and said it had done a “very good job” on regional issues, including Syria.
Although Ankara is “not a big fan” of Israel or Netanyahu, Trump said the partnership between Washington and Ankara remains strong.
Speaking during the NATO summit in Türkiye, Trump said he would “certainly consider” resuming the sales, describing Türkiye as “much more loyal than other countries.”
‘Positive approach’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump had adopted a “positive approach” toward delivering F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Trump’s comments also supported earlier media reports that said he was “pissed off” by Netanyahu’s public criticism of the proposed US jet sale to Ankara.
During Trump’s first term in 2019, Washington suspended Türkiye from the F-35 programme over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system, arguing that the Russian platform could put the fighter jets at risk.
Türkiye has repeatedly maintained that the two systems do not conflict and has proposed forming a commission to examine the issue. Ankara also says it met its F-35 obligations and that its suspension breached programme rules, while insisting the jets would bolster both Türkiye and NATO.
