US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, signaling a possible shift in a long-running dispute that has strained relations between the two NATO allies since Ankara bought a Russian air defense system.
“That’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump told reporters in Ankara, where he arrived for a NATO summit and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “It’s a great plane, the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider,” he said.
“Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal — so, yeah, it’s something certainly we would consider.”
Reporter: Mr. President, are you going to sell F-35s to Türkiye, and what about the legal restrictions?
Trump: We're going to make a decision. I would think that many people — I can tell, many people sitting right here — would say, why wouldn't we do that?
We have a better… pic.twitter.com/VkFnKWorxk
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 7, 2026
Turkey was removed from the US-led F-35 program in 2019 after taking delivery of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, which Washington said could be used to gather intelligence on the advanced fighter jet and compromise its stealth technology.
The move was a major blow to Ankara, which had been both a customer and an industrial partner in the multinational program.
Turkish companies had produced parts for the aircraft, while Turkey had planned to buy around 100 F-35s before the dispute derailed the deal.
The United States later imposed sanctions on Turkey’s Presidency of the Defense Industry under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), targeting Ankara’s purchase of the Russian system.
The issue has remained one of the most contentious disputes between the two allies, along with disagreements over Syria, Turkey’s ties with Russia and Washington’s support for Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorist organizations.
Trump’s remarks came as he sat next to Erdoğan at the presidential complex in Ankara, where Turkey is hosting the NATO summit. The meeting gave Erdoğan a chance to press for progress on defense issues at a time when Ankara is trying to modernize its air force.
Turkey has also sought new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from the United States while developing its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft, KAAN, as part of a broader effort to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Any renewed move to sell F-35s to Turkey would likely face scrutiny in the US Congress, where lawmakers have repeatedly warned against allowing Ankara back into the program unless the S-400 issue is fully resolved.
Trump also used his appearance in Ankara to criticize European NATO allies over what he described as their lack of support during the recent US conflict with Iran.
“I was very disappointed with NATO,” Trump said. “We didn’t need any help at all, and in a way, I was testing people. I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there, because I’ve long said that we helped them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us.”
His comments added to tensions within the alliance ahead of summit discussions expected to focus on defense spending, Ukraine and the future of the US military role in Europe.
Trump has repeatedly accused European allies of relying too heavily on US protection while failing to shoulder enough of the defense burden.
The Iran conflict has sharpened those complaints, with US officials saying some allies were reluctant to grant access to bases or airspace during the campaign.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has tried to stress allied contributions and preserve unity, but the Ankara summit opened under the shadow of renewed questions about Washington’s commitment to European security under Trump.
For Erdoğan, the meeting offered a chance to present Turkey as a key NATO member at a time of growing uncertainty inside the alliance.
Turkey has NATO’s second-largest military and controls access to the Black Sea through the Turkish Straits, giving it a central role in alliance planning related to Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East.
Turkish Minute with reporting from Agence France-Presse