BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
The United States’ top diplomat in Ankara says the improved personal rapport between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opened the door to the most productive dialogue in years on the dispute that pushed Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program.
U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack said in a social media post Wednesday that the relationship between the two leaders has “created a new atmosphere of cooperation,” allowing discussions that had stalled for nearly a decade to regain momentum. According to Barrack, the renewed engagement has brought both governments closer to addressing the issues that prompted Turkey’s removal from the next-generation aircraft project during Trump’s first term.
Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program after purchasing Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, a move Washington argued could expose sensitive aircraft data to Moscow. U.S. officials warned that integrating Russian technology alongside American stealth fighters risked compromising the aircraft’s security, potentially giving Russia insights into one of NATO’s most advanced platforms.
Ankara, which invested $1.4 billion in the program before its 2019 suspension, has repeatedly pushed to be allowed back in. The United States also imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act the following year, deepening the rift between the two allies.
Barrack, who also serves as Trump’s special envoy for Syria, said current talks between Washington and Ankara are directly addressing Turkey’s desire to rejoin the initiative and its continued ownership of the S-400 system. Using the Turkish government’s preferred spelling of the country’s name, he expressed optimism that months of careful negotiation could lead to a breakthrough that satisfies both U.S. security conditions and Türkiye’s strategic interests.
Despite its exclusion from the F-35 program, Turkey has worked aggressively to modernize its air force. It has pursued Eurofighter Typhoons, sought U.S.-made F-16s, and accelerated development of its domestically produced KAAN fighter jet, which officials expect to put into service by 2028.
A September meeting at the White House signaled a shift in tone. Trump publicly suggested the U.S. might soon reconsider its ban on F-35 sales to Ankara, emphasizing what he described as a strong and productive personal relationship with Erdogan. That stands in contrast to the approach taken by the Obama and Biden administrations, which kept Erdogan at a distance over concerns about democratic backsliding, human rights issues, Turkey’s relationship with Russia, and tensions with Israel.
Trump has increasingly viewed Erdogan as a key intermediary in broader diplomatic efforts, particularly in his attempts to help bring an eventual resolution to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Turkish leader’s growing influence in regional politics, and his government’s engagement with Syria’s emerging interim authorities, has drawn renewed attention from both U.S. and European officials.
With the two presidents now fostering a more cooperative dynamic, Washington and Ankara appear closer than they have been in years to resolving one of the most contentious disputes between the NATO allies—a development that could reshape the future of both countries’ defense strategies.
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