Ankara, July 7, 2026: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the United States would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system.
He also said his administration would consider selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Nato ally.
Speaking before a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara, Mr Trump said Secretary of State and Treasury officials were working on removing the sanctions.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Mr Trump told reporters, adding that the United States would also consider Turkey’s request to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
“Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal… It’s a great plane, it’s the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider,” he said.
The sanctions were imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after Ankara acquired the Russian S-400 air defence system in 2019. Washington also removed Turkey from the F-35 programme, citing concerns that operating the Russian missile system alongside the advanced US fighter aircraft could compromise sensitive military technology.
Although relations between Washington and Ankara have improved under the Trump administration, legal hurdles remain. US law currently bars the sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkey as long as it retains the S-400 system.
According to Reuters, one proposal under discussion involves transferring the Russian missile system to a third country, though no agreement has been reached and it remains unclear whether Russia would approve such a move.
Mr Trump’s visit marks the first by a US president to Turkey in 11 years and signals a renewed effort to strengthen bilateral ties between the two Nato allies.