Trump signals support for F-35s to Turkey despite Israeli objections

Erdogan said he had received assurances that Turkey would be able to purchase five F-35 stealth fighter jets from the United States.

By World Israel news Staff

Sitting alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the United States would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, calling the NATO ally “a loyal nation” and saying he has “no concerns” about the potential sale.

Erdogan said he had received assurances that Turkey would be able to purchase five F-35 stealth fighter jets from the United States.

Trump’s remarks came after Reuters reported that his administration was expected to back Turkey’s long-running bid to rejoin the F-35 program, a move likely to raise concerns in Israel and among members of Congress.

Days before arriving in Ankara for the NATO summit, Trump hinted that he planned to make a significant gesture toward Turkey.

When asked by reporters whether he would bring any “gifts” for Ankara during his visit, Trump replied, “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly urged Washington against restoring Turkey’s access to the advanced aircraft, warning that they should not be provided to a government aligned with Islamist ideology.

“For a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America,’ from that side of the spectrum, I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News. “It would upset the power balance in the Middle East.”

The potential policy shift comes amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey.

In recent days, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared that “Israel has become a problem for the entire world” and described Israeli leaders as “a burden humanity can no longer bear,” prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to accuse him of engaging in “textbook incitement to genocide.”

Erdogan has also intensified his rhetoric against Israel, recently describing Zionism as “a genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology.”

The Trump administration has already begun restoring defense ties with Ankara. Just weeks ago, it formally notified Congress of its intention to approve the sale of more than $700 million worth of U.S.-made fighter jet engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter program.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which Washington argued posed a security risk to the stealth aircraft. Congress subsequently barred the transfer of F-35s to Turkey as long as it continues operating the Russian missile system.

Despite Trump’s public support, significant legal and congressional hurdles remain before any sale could proceed unless Turkey resolves the longstanding dispute over the S-400 system.

If approved, the sale would mark one of the most significant shifts in U.S.-Turkey defense relations in years and could reshape the military balance in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

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