US reaffirms Turkey remains barred from F-35 Program

The State Department said Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile system remains the central obstacle to any transfer of the jets.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United States confirms that Turkey remains ineligible to purchase or receive F-35 fighter jets, telling Congress that Ankara has not met the legal requirements for lifting restrictions tied to its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.

In a formal letter to Congress, the US State Department said Turkey continues to fall short of the conditions required under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

The statement follows comments by President Donald Trump earlier this month during the NATO summit, where he indicated the United States could consider selling the aircraft to Turkey.

“That’s a decision we’re going to make… it’s a great plane, the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider,” Trump said while sitting alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after landing in Ankara for the summit.

The State Department said Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile system remains the central obstacle to any transfer of the fifth-generation fighter jets.

Washington maintains that operating the S-400 alongside the F-35 could expose the aircraft’s sensitive stealth technology and classified capabilities to Russia.

Under US law, Turkey cannot receive the aircraft unless it completely relinquishes possession of the S-400 system, guarantees it will not acquire similar Russian systems in the future, and satisfies all statutory certification requirements.

“Turkey has not yet met these conditions,” the State Department wrote.

The department added that any effort to resolve the S-400 dispute must be “transparent, lawful, and consistent with our national security interests.”

Referring to Trump’s recent bilateral meeting with Erdoğan in Ankara, the letter said Washington will continue engaging with the Turkish government to address the S-400 issue while strengthening NATO cooperation.

Although Trump previously expressed support for lifting the 2020 CAATSA sanctions and backing a potential F-35 sale, the State Department said official US policy has not changed and that the legal requirements remain in effect.

Turkey was formally removed from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 following its acquisition of the S-400 system and was subsequently sanctioned in December 2020.