Trump Moves to Lift Turkey Sanctions, Reopen F-35 Deal Amid NATO Summit

In a significant pivot during the ongoing NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump announced his administration will lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over its 2019 purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system. This unexpected move, revealed after his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signals a potential thaw in a long-strained alliance and opens the door for Turkey's possible return to the F-35 fighter jet program. The sanctions, enacted in 2020 under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), targeted Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) and removed Ankara from the F-35 program, citing concerns that the S-400 could compromise NATO advanced military technology. Turkey has consistently argued its sovereign right to acquire necessary defense systems, while the US maintained that operating a Russian system alongside F-35s posed a critical security risk. The decision to lift these measures comes despite existing US laws and strong opposition from some US lawmakers and allies like Israel. While Trump has expressed a willingness to also consider selling F-35s to Turkey and even F110 engines for its indigenous KAAN stealth fighter, the path forward isn't entirely clear. Any such action will require a congressional review, and Vice President JD Vance confirmed Pentagon officials are still assessing whether Turkey meets the legal criteria to rejoin the F-35 program. Observers will be closely watching how US Congress reacts to this executive decision and whether the long-standing S-400 dispute can truly be put to rest, potentially reshaping the balance of power within NATO.