Trump pushes for F-35 delivery to Türkiye ahead of NATO summit

Background: The F-35 program and Türkiye

In 2019, however, the United States removed Türkiye from the F-35 program. The cited reason was the NATO ally's acquisition of Russian air defense missile systems. "Die USA schlossen Ankara jedoch 2019 von dem Projekt aus, nachdem der Nato-Partner Raketenabwehrsysteme von Russland erworben hatte," according to reporting.

Since the removal, relations between Trump and Erdoğan have improved, according to the White House. The Turkish president had repeatedly expressed in the past his desire to obtain F-35 aircraft.

Following Trump's remarks, US Vice President JD Vance clarified that US congressional approval would be required to sell the fighter jet to Ankara. With that, the US administration itself pointed to the political hurdles standing in the way of such a deal.

Congressional approval as a hurdle

Trump's remarks came "keine zwei Wochen vor dem NATO-Gipfel in Ankara." The meeting of heads of state and government is planned, according to NATO, for July 7 and 8 in the Turkish capital. Türkiye as host and Washington as the most powerful NATO member thus face delicate bilateral issues.

The summit is also overshadowed, according to multiple media outlets, by ongoing disputes among alliance partners over the Iran war. Trump on Wednesday also used the occasion to criticize several European allies.

Dispute over the Iran war and criticism of Europe

He complained about the stance of the German federal government in connection with the Iran war. Trump said he had asked the German federal government: "Gebt uns einen kleinen Stups, gebt uns ein kleines Küsschen. Aber sie haben nein gesagt." He was "enttäuscht über Deutschland."

He also criticized France, Italy, and the United Kingdom again on Wednesday. He accused the European allies of having left the United States "im Stich gelassen." These remarks came during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House in Washington.

Outlook on the NATO summit in Ankara

The episode highlights the tensions within the alliance shortly before the summit in Ankara. While Trump is counting on a possible rapprochement with Türkiye in the area of armaments, the question of US congressional approval remains open. The coming days until the summit begins on July 7 are considered decisive for the agenda of the meeting.

It remains unclear so far whether the summit in Ankara will produce concrete announcements about Türkiye's return to the F-35 program. The US government has so far neither formally confirmed negotiations on a sale nor ruled out that the issue will play a central role at the summit.