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As Trump administration officials discuss ways to restore Türkiye’s access to F-35 fighter jets, one option that’s been raised would ask its government to disable elements of its Russian air-defense technology, a person with knowledge of the discussions told Semafor.
The idea of effectively disabling Türkiye’s Russian S-400 system in order to comply with congressional restrictions on F-35 sales is not new — the administration considered it last year, according to a report at the time — and Trump’s advisers have not settled on it.
But the fact that this is coming up again signals that the administration is moving forward on F-35 sales to Türkiye after President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he’s open to allowing them.
If the administration proceeds with asking Türkiye to make the S-400 inoperable, it also risks intensifying pushback from members of Congress in both parties, who have indicated they view the law as prohibiting any possession of the Russian system by Türkiye, period.
Trump barred Türkiye from F-35 sales during his first term and sanctioned Ankara over the S-400s. But as he met with its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump made clear he’s ready for a shift, despite public opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I would say the relationship with Türkiye is better, probably, than it’s ever been,” Trump said Tuesday at a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Trump added that the US plans to lift sanctions on Türkiye that were imposed in 2020 as a result of its acquisition of the Russian system.Some US officials argue that disabling the S-400 would comply with the law, which requires the US to certify that Türkiye no longer possesses or uses the Russian air-defense tech.
“They know they need to play ball to get what they want from the US,” the person with knowledge of the discussions said of Türkiye.
Another option under discussion, according to The New York Times, would see Türkiye’s S-400s given to a third party, though Trump on Tuesday appeared to dismiss that idea.
“I have no concerns at all about anything,” Trump said when asked about that solution to the Russian missile defense systems.
The White House referred Semafor to Trump’s comments in Türkiye on Tuesday. The Turkish embassy in the US did not return a request for comment.
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Trump’s push to sell F-35s to Türkiye is already being met with opposition on Capitol Hill. Some lawmakers are also expressing concerns about Trump’s plan to lift sanctions.“Selling one of America’s most advanced fighter jets to Turkey is not in the best interest of the United States,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said in a statement. “It risks compromising critical technology and sends the wrong message to our allies in Europe and the Middle East.“Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, told NOTUS that he hopes Türkiye “will finally agree to end their possession of the S-400s and put this issue behind us.”
Other Republicans, however, are already on board with the idea — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told a Turkish outlet that he’s open to the sale.Vice President JD Vance said last month that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was conducting a review of the matter, previewing this week’s Trump comments.
“Pete and the entire team are reviewing this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened ... in order to comply with American law,” he told reporters at the time.
Notable
- Trump’s first-term decision to exclude Türkiye from F-35 sales significantly hurt its defense industry, The Wall Street Journal noted.
- Erdoğan is one of Trump’s closest allies at this week’s NATO summit, with a kinship dating back nearly a decade despite bumps in the road, Politico detailed this week.
Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.