ANKARA, July 10 (Reuters) – Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that Turkey aims to secure a resolution on lifting U.S. sanctions and acquiring F‑35 fighter jets in the near term, emphasizing that allied defense cooperation should not be constrained by restrictions.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who visited Ankara earlier this week for the NATO summit, announced on Tuesday that he intends to lift the sanctions imposed on Turkey for its purchase of Russian S‑400 missile systems.
Speaking with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan noted that political will exists in both Ankara and Washington to remove the sanctions, and that the relevant ministers are actively working toward a solution.
In 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) due to Ankara’s acquisition of the S‑400s, and subsequently excluded Turkey from the F‑35 stealth fighter program. Congressional legislation stipulates that Turkey must relinquish its S‑400 holdings to regain eligibility for the F‑35 program.
Fidan highlighted that two key issues in Turkey‑U.S. relations remain subject to U.S. legislation.
“CAATSA is one of them; the F‑35 jet matter is the other,” he said. “God willing, we will reach a conclusion soon; in other words, I do not anticipate any problems in this regard,” Fidan added in his remarks broadcast on TRT.
Two Reuters sources said this week that Trump is expected to back a potential sale of F‑35s to Turkey during his Ankara visit. Trump remarked that he “has not totally made up his mind” on the issue.
The Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Friday that Ankara could announce, as early as Friday, its intention to resell the S‑400s to a Gulf nation in order to persuade the United States to approve F‑35 sales to Turkey.
When questioned on Friday about the media report and whether Turkey had sought Russia’s approval for such a transaction, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow has been in contact with Ankara regarding what he described as an “extremely sensitive issue”.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler and Peter Graff)
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