Turkey is expected to receive six F-35 fighter jets from the US as part of an initial transaction, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing Turkish officials familiar with the matter.
The deal would depend on US President Donald Trump reversing the ban on Ankara’s purchase of the latest generation of American fighter jets, the report noted.
Turkey originally planned to buy 40-odd F-35 jets before tensions between Ankara, the US, and key allies like Israel and Greece led the Americans to block the transaction.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been pushing for the deal to come through, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently warned against giving the weapon to the Turks.
Additionally, US lawmakers warned the Trump administration on June 28 that selling the fighter jets could also represent a security threat, due to Turkey also building defense ties with Russia and using their S-400 air defense system.
Trump praises Erdogan, still not sure about F-35 deal
Meanwhile, Trump praised Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, saying that “He’s a very strong man. People do not mess with him, but he’s really done a fantastic job.”
“You could tell from the moment we got off the plane. Look at the airports – they were beautiful. They built a terminal just for me to come,” he added.
He also said that he had not yet decided whether to sell F-35 jets to Turkey, but he was considering how good an ally Erdogan had been.
“I haven’t totally made up my mind, but my inclination is to say, look, he’s done everything, he’s helped us in so many different ways,” Trump said during a press conference after the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump expected to approve F-35 deal after Ankara summit
Trump is expected to throw his support behind the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during a visit to Ankara, Reuters and The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
When Trump was asked late last month by reporters if he would have any “gifts” for Turkey, he said: “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”
Speaking alongside Trump, Vice President JD Vance said a review was underway to determine whether Turkey had complied with US laws to receive the F-35 fighter jets.
“Pete and the entire team are reviewing this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened … in order to comply with American law,” he said, referring to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week that Erdogan and Trump share a “strong political will” to remove US sanctions imposed on Turkey, though they declined to lay out a timetable.
Idan Kweller and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source:
www.jpost.com
