President Trump wants Turkey back in the F-35 program, but the State Department told Congress that Erdoğan hasn’t met the legal requirements to receive America’s most advanced fighter jet.
A July 22 letter confirms US law still prohibits the transfer until Ankara no longer possesses the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, promises not to acquire it again, and satisfies remaining certification requirements set by Congress. Weeks ago, President Trump told Erdoğan at the NATO summit that he’d lift sanctions and consider selling the aircraft
However, President Trump doesn’t have the authority.
Turkey still maintains ties to Russia, Hamas, and Chinese telecom firms.
While crediting Turkey with helping on Gaza diplomacy and counter-ISIS operations, it also warned that Hamas continues to exploit financial channels operating from Turkish territory.
Former US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey told Fox News Digital that Trump’s stance reflects genuine trust built through cooperation on Libya, Syria, Ukraine, and the PKK ceasefire — and a desire to keep Ankara from turning to Russia or China for weapons.
Jeffrey says transferring the S-400 to a third country — the UAE has been floated — would satisfy the law. However, Russia could block the transfer.
We can’t trust Turkey, but Erdoğan has been cooperative with President Trump.
