Turkey in talks to rejoin US F-35 fighter jet programme, envoy says

Reuters:

ANKARA, Dec 10 – The U.S. is in discussions with Turkey regarding Ankara’s rejoining the F-35 fighter jet programme and Washington hopes that talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey said on Wednesday.

Washington removed Ankara from Lockheed Martin’s <LMT.N, opens new tab> advanced F-35 programme and imposed the sanctions in 2020 over its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems. Turkey has said the move was unjust and voiced hope that the sides could overcome the issue during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.

“The United States is in ongoing discussions with Türkiye regarding their desire to rejoin the F-35 program and their possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system,” said Ambassador Tom Barrack in a post on X.

Barrack said U.S. law will not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wants to return to the F-35 programme. He also said the relationship between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has created a new atmosphere of cooperation, which has led to “the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.”

“Our hope is that these talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months that meets both the security requirements of the United States and Türkiye,” he said.