Trump Plans to Lift Turkey Sanctions and Considers F-35 Sale
Taylor Wilson
Trump announced at the NATO Ankara summit that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey and is considering restoring F-35 sales, but the deal hinges on resolving the S-400 standoff and winning over a skeptical Congress.
What exactly did Trump say?
Meeting Turkish President Erdoğan, Trump declared: "We're going to remove the sanctions. It's time. We don't want to sanction friends."
On the F-35, he called it "the best plane by far" and said "it's certainly something we'd look at."
This means → The White House tone has shifted from "fix S-400 first" to "extend goodwill first." The direction changed, but the promise hasn't become policy.
Why is the S-400 the biggest obstacle?
Turkey approved the purchase of Russia's S-400 air-defense system — a radar-and-missile network that detects and tracks aircraft — in 2017. The U.S. responded by ejecting Turkey from the F-35 program and imposing sanctions.
The core fear: S-400 radars could collect the F-35's radar signature and other classified data, then relay it to Moscow. In plain terms = it would hand Russia the "cheat sheet" to counter America's most advanced fighter jet.
In 2020, Congress passed a law barring Turkey's return until it removes all S-400 units and pledges not to buy more Russian systems that could compromise the F-35. This means → the president cannot act alone — Congress wrote the lock into statute.
Where does Congress stand?
Bipartisan lawmakers attending the Ankara summit delivered a unified message: Turkey is welcome back, but S-400 must be resolved first.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen: "If Turkey could rejoin without giving Russia a way to crack the F-35 through the S-400, that would be very good news."
Republican Senator Mike Rounds was blunter: "We know this won't happen until the S-400 issue is resolved." Fellow Republican John Cornyn posted on social media: "I hope this is wrong."
This reflects a rare bipartisan alignment — the president wants to move fast; Congress wants preconditions met.
Are there workarounds?
U.S. and Turkish officials have floated several compromises: transferring the S-400 to Ukraine, or moving it to a U.S.-controlled secure site. None have materialized.
Turkey may also face resistance from Israel and Greece — both wary that a Turkey armed with F-35s could shift the regional military balance.
Put simply = even if the White House and Ankara agree in principle, the deal must clear more than one gate: Congress, allies, and technical security — all three are required.
Who builds the F-35, and whose interests are at stake?
Lockheed Martin leads F-35 design and final assembly. Northrop Grumman builds the center fuselage and the AESA radar.
The F135 engine comes from Pratt & Whitney, a unit of RTX. The aft fuselage and tail are made by BAE Systems of the U.K.
This means → a deal would benefit not just one company but the entire F-35 supply chain — though until Congress amends the law, all of this remains hypothetical.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.