U.S. President Donald Trump, asked whether he would supply F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, said he 'may do something that makes Erdogan very happy.' Trump described the Turkish president as a 'strong guy who does everything I ask of him' and said he is attending the NATO Ankara summit only because Erdogan asked and he wants to honor him, according to N12's Asaf Rozentzweig. The remark, made early Thursday, signals a potential shift in U.S. arms policy toward Turkey.
U.S. President Donald Trump early Thursday signaled a potential shift in arms policy toward Turkey, saying he 'may do something that makes Erdogan very happy' when asked whether he would supply F-35 fighter jets to Ankara. The remark, reported by N12's Asaf Rozentzweig, was the clearest indication yet from Trump on the F-35 question.
The comments — in which Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 'a strong guy who does everything I ask of him' and said he is attending the NATO summit in Ankara solely because Erdogan asked — follow a series of Trump statements warming personal relations with the Turkish leader.
As The Zioneer reported on Wednesday, Trump earlier this week praised Erdogan as a 'great leader' and claimed he could have joined the Iran war but stayed out at Trump's request. The new F-35 hint moves from general praise to a concrete policy area. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 air defense system; any restart would require congressional approval.
What remains open: Trump did not make a firm commitment or specify conditions. The remarks came during a media interaction, not a formal policy announcement.
4 developments
- DevelopingVance: US reviewing Turkey's F-35 eligibility; Trump 'likely' to approve sale
- ConfirmedUS approves sale of engines for Turkish fighter jets, worth hundreds of millions
- DevelopingTurkey seeks F-110 engines for its domestic KAAN fighter project
- DevelopingTrump says he will speak with Turkey, calls Erdogan 'great'
Source and signal
- Internal intake