Turkey hopes US will lift sanctions soon, continues push for F-35 jets

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Friday that Ankara anticipates a swift resolution to US sanctions and a positive outcome regarding its acquisition of F-35 fighter jets. He emphasized the importance of maintaining unrestricted defense industry cooperation between allied nations.

Fidan noted that both Turkish and American leadership exhibit political willingness to address the sanctions issue. He explained that the relevant ministers are actively engaged in finding a resolution. The US had previously imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2020 under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) due to its purchase of Russian S-400 defense missile systems. This action also led to Turkey's removal from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, with US congressional legislation requiring Turkey to relinquish the S-400s to be reinstated.

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there should be no defense industry restrictions between allies.

Two key issues subject to US legislation remain in Turkey-US relations: CAATSA and the F-35 jets. Fidan conveyed optimism, stating, "God willing, we will reach a conclusion soon; in other words, I do not think there will be any problems in this regard." This comes amid reports that Turkey might consider reselling the S-400 systems to a Gulf nation to facilitate the F-35 purchase. Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged ongoing contact with Ankara regarding this "extremely sensitive issue."

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CAATSA is one of them. The issue of the F-35 jets is another... God willing, we will reach a conclusion soon; in other words, I do not think there will be any problems in this regard.