President Donald Trump signaled that Washington may move ahead with a major defense gesture for Turkey, including a possible sale of F-35 fighter jets. Speaking after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara on July 7 to 8, Trump said he would do “something that will make him very happy,” referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also praised Erdogan as a “strong man” and said the Turkish leader had personally asked him to attend the summit, adding that he was coming “out of great respect” for him.
Trump also claimed Turkey had been close to joining the war against Iran, and said he prevented that. “Erdogan was a major candidate to join the war in Iran, maybe on Iran’s side, because he is not a big fan of Israel, but he stayed out because I asked him,” Trump said in response to a Turkish reporter. He made similar claims about China and Russia staying out of the conflict at his request. Trump described Turkey as a “strong and prominent NATO ally” and emphasized the Turkish military’s strength.
The administration is now reviewing whether Turkey can be brought back into the F-35 program, which Washington barred Ankara from after it bought Russia’s S-400 air-defense system in 2019. Vice President JD Vance said the issue is being examined at the highest levels, and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his team are checking whether legal conditions have been met, after Trump ordered the review. Under U.S. law, Turkey cannot possess or operate the S-400 if it wants back into the program.
In parallel, Reuters reported that the Trump administration is also moving toward a separate sale of dozens of jet engines to Turkey worth more than $700 million. The General Electric engines are intended for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter project, launched in 2016. The move is being viewed as a clear sign of goodwill toward Erdogan before the NATO summit, despite continued opposition in Congress.
Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has not given approval and criticized the administration for failing to brief lawmakers adequately on the deal and on the implications of Turkey keeping the S-400. Still, the expectation is that the engine sale will be approved in the coming days, after which the State Department will formally notify Congress. The article notes that Congress can object to major arms deals, but its opposition does not automatically stop a sale if the administration proceeds.
