Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US has promised to sell five F-35 fighter jets, according to Abu Ali Express. Separately, President Donald Trump said he will remove CAATSA sanctions on Turkey, which had blocked the sale over Ankara's S-400 purchase. The announcements follow a phone call between the leaders earlier today.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Tuesday that the United States has promised to sell five F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, marking the first official confirmation from Ankara. "It is now official — the US has promised to sell us five F-35 aircraft," Erdogan stated, as reported by Abu Ali Express. The announcement follows a phone call between Erdogan and President Donald Trump earlier today, during which Trump said the US would lift CAATSA sanctions that had blocked the sale since 2019 over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.
The Zioneer has been tracking the story throughout the day. At 16:01 Jerusalem, multiple reports — from N12's Asaf Rozentzweig, i24NEWS's Amichai Stein, and others — stated that Trump had told Erdogan he would lift the sanctions, with Trump saying "there is no need to impose sanctions on a friend." Within minutes, The Zioneer published a series of updates: Trump said he would remove all restrictions on Turkey, called Erdogan a "wonderful leader," and described Turkey as "more loyal than we thought." At 16:17 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported directly that Trump told Erdogan the US would lift the sanctions, citing the phone call. The day's developments began with a New York Times report at 05:51 Jerusalem that Trump was ready to signal a return to the F-35 program.
The move follows weeks of signals from the Trump administration. As The Zioneer reported on June 25, Trump said he would likely approve the sale of F-35s and F-110 engines to Turkey, and Vice President JD Vance said the US may sell the jets pending a legal review. On July 3, Trump hinted at a "big bag of gifts" for Turkey, including a possible F-35 deal. On July 6, a The Zioneer analysis assessed that Erdogan's window for the deal is now, and the deal appears increasingly realistic.
While Trump's executive action can lift the CAATSA sanctions, any sale of F-35s would still require congressional notification and possible approval. Congress has been divided on the issue. The exact timeline for the delivery of the five F-35s and the terms of the sale remain unconfirmed beyond Erdogan's statement.
9 developments
- DevelopingTrump says he will speak with Turkey, calls Erdogan 'great'
- DevelopingUS ambassador to Turkey says Trump-Erdogan rapport eases bilateral friction
- StrongTrump reveals he asked Erdogan for unusual favor — and says he agreed
- StrongTrump expected to visit Turkey, meet Erdogan, hints at 'big bag of gifts' including F-35 deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake