Erdogan Signals Confidence Ankara Will Rejoin U.S. F-35 Fighter Jet Program

• He noted a “positive willingness” from U.S. President Donald Trump on the matter.
• The conversation took place during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Updated 12 min 48 sec ago

September 24, 2026 20:57

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced confidence on Thursday that Ankara will regain access to the U.S. F‑35 fighter jet programme, saying he expects concrete steps from Washington to that end.
U.S. President Donald Trump “expressed a positive willingness regarding Turkey’s return to the F‑35 programme,” Erdogan told reporters before boarding his plane to return from the UN General Assembly in New York.
“We expect this willingness to now translate into concrete steps,” he added.
“We are continuing our discussions on this matter. I am confident we will achieve results.”
Turkey has long sought to resolve the protracted F‑35 dispute with Washington, and the Trump administration has also shown interest in concluding the matter.
During the NATO summit in Ankara in early July, Trump said he was considering letting Turkey back into the programme.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” the U.S. leader remarked, raising Turkish hopes that the issue would soon be settled.
The dispute originated in 2017 when Ankara acquired a Russian S‑400 missile‑defence system.
Washington was angered by the purchase, expelling Turkey from the F‑35 programme in 2019 and imposing additional sanctions a year later, which hampered Turkish defence projects and strained bilateral ties.

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