Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed confidence this week that his ongoing talks with Donald Trump will prod...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed confidence this week that his ongoing talks with Donald Trump will produce concrete results on Turkey's bid to acquire F-35 fighter jets, calling the U.S. president his "precious friend." Erdogan made the remarks following a two-day Ankara Summit, which Turkish officials described as confirmation that Turkey is a central actor in shaping NATO's security agenda. The summit was framed by Ankara as evidence of Turkey's role in keeping dialogue channels open during crises and contributing to the alliance's transformation through its defense industry capacity. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, a move that triggered a years-long standoff with Washington. The acquisition of Russian hardware was deemed incompatible with NATO systems and raised concerns about intelligence exposure for the advanced stealth jet. Erdogan's optimism signals Ankara is pushing hard to reverse that exclusion under the current Trump administration. The two leaders have maintained a notably warm relationship since Trump returned to the White House, with Erdogan leveraging that personal rapport as a diplomatic tool on multiple fronts including this one. Whether Congress would approve the sale remains a separate and significant obstacle. Legislation passed after Turkey's S-400 purchase imposed sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and any F-35 deal would require navigating that legal framework alongside opposition from Greece and other NATO allies concerned about regional stability. #Turkey #F35 #NATO