Five F-35s for Turkey: Trump is ready to break the sanctions barrier for the sake of "Erdogan’s friend"

Trump announced his readiness lift CAATSA sanctions from Turkey and consider F-35 question. Erdogan immediately recalled the five previously promised aircraft, and this could be the beginning of Ankara’s return to the program.

Donald Trump actually opened up for Recep Tayyip Erdogan door back to the F-35. At the NATO summit in Ankara, the US President said that Washington would lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey and make a decision on the possible sale of fifth-generation fighters.

Trump’s CAATSA move sparks Erdoğan reaction

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted after President Trump announced the US would lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey, potentially paving the way for closer defense ties after years of tensions over the S-400 purchase. #EuroPost pic.twitter.com/mDAU4wSpTi

— EuroPost Agency (@EuroPostAgency) July 7, 2026

A few minutes after this, Erdogan recalled Washington’s old debt: Turkey, he said, had previously been promised five F-35s. This phrase sounded not as a random remark, but as a public reminder to Trump of an unfulfilled commitment.

???? ÚLTIMA HORA: CONTRARIO A LOS INFORMES, TRUMP SORPRENDE Y NO CONFIRMA LA VENTA DE AVIONES F-35 A TURQUÍA.

PERIODISTA: Señor Presidente, ¿venderá aviones F-35 a Turquía? ¿Y qué hay de las restricciones legales?

TRUMP: Tomaremos una decisión. Creo que mucha gente -y puedo… pic.twitter.com/2tKtOYwdWX

— Isaac (@isaacrrr7) July 7, 2026

Trump did not name a specific schedule for the transfer of the aircraft, but confirmed that the F-35 issue will be resolved. According to Reutersthe US President directly stated that sanctions against Turkey would be lifted, and F-35 sales will be considered separately.

This is no longer a diplomatic fog. This is a political signal: the White House is ready to reconsider one of the toughest decisions of recent years in relations between the United States and Turkey.

Five planes as a test balloon

Five F-35s by themselves are not capable of changing the military balance in the Aegean Sea. But they can change something more important: the principle itself.

If Washington transfers at least a small batch of aircraft to Ankara, Türkiye will be able to declare that it has returned to the F-35 program not in words, but in practice. After this, the question will no longer be about five vehicles, but about dozens of future deliveries, maintenance, ammunition, pilot training and the complete restoration of Turkey in the chain of production and operation of the F-35.

That is why five fighters can become not a military party, but a political battering ram. The first breach in the sanctions barrier is always more important than its size.

Erdogan said that the United States had previously promised Turkey five aircraft and expressed hope that Trump would fulfill this promise. This was reported by Al-Monitor.

What prevented Turkey from getting the F-35

Türkiye was kicked out of the F-35 program in 2019 year after purchase of Russian S-400 systems. Washington then said that the Russian air defense system was incompatible with the F-35 and created a risk of leaking sensitive data about the stealth aircraft.

The Pentagon publicly emphasized back in 2019: while Türkiye receives the S-400, it will not receive the F-35. US Department of Defense position It was extremely tough back then.

CAATSA sanctions were later imposed on Turkey. Formally, they were associated with the purchase of Russian weapons, but in fact they turned into a political lock on the door of the F-35 program.

Now Trump promises to remove this castle.

Legal trick or big deal

Washington may try to portray the possible transfer of five aircraft not as a new sale, but as the closure of an old commitment to Turkey. Such an approach would allow the White House to declare: this is not about Ankara’s full return to the program, but about the fulfillment of previously paid or agreed upon contractual obligations.

This is where the legal game begins. The US Congress still retains significant leverage over a possible deal. Some American legislators are already opposed to the supply of F-35s to Turkey while Ankara retains the Russian S-400s.

As reported AxiosTurkey’s potential return to the F-35 is opposed by a group of American lawmakers, and Israel has also expressed serious concern about a possible change in the military balance in the Middle East.

But Trump has already shown that he is ready to find a way around the previous restrictions. He did not say: “First, Türkiye will finally get rid of the S-400, then we will talk someday.” He said he would lift sanctions and make a decision on the F-35.

For Erdogan, this is exactly the window of opportunity that he has been seeking for seven years.

S-400 remains the main mine

The main question has not disappeared: what will happen to the Russian S-400?

The United States may demand that Turkey completely decommission the complexes, remove them from its territory, or transfer them to a third country. Such options have been discussed before, but Ankara has avoided publicly abandoning the system for which it has already paid Moscow billions of dollars.

If Trump is truly willing to compromise, a possible formula would be one in which Turkey formally retains the S-400s, but commits not to activate them, integrate them into national air defenses, or use them near F-35 infrastructure.

For Washington, this will be a risky compromise. For Ankara, this is an almost ideal result: not to admit defeat on the S-400 and at the same time regain access to American fifth-generation technologies.

Why Athens should look at this without illusions

For Greece, not only the issue of five planes is important. Washington’s course itself is important.

In recent years, Athens has built its air advantage on the Rafale, the modernization of the F-16 and the future acquisition of the F-35. Türkiye has remained outside the F-35 program, and its own KAAN is still dependent on foreign technology, engines and systems.

If Trump gives Erdogan a chance to return to the F-35, Ankara will receive more than just planes. It will receive political confirmation that the United States is again ready to see Turkey among its privileged allies, even after the S-400, conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean and constant threats against Greece.

This will be a direct blow to the logic on which Athens has built its own military strategy in recent years: Türkiye is punished, Greece is strengthened, the balance is gradually shifting in favor of Athens.

The danger is not only on airplanes

The biggest risk for the US and allies is not that five F-35s will appear over the Aegean tomorrow. The danger lies elsewhere: Türkiye maintains an independent policy, contacts with Russia, close economic ties with China and the desire to develop its own defense industry.

Washington fears that any return of Ankara to the F-35 will require the strictest technology safety guarantees. We are talking not only about the aircraft itself, but also about the software, maintenance systems, logistics, weapons, sensors and all the infrastructure associated with the fifth generation machine.

There is no confirmation that Türkiye intends to transfer F-35 technology to Russia or China. But it was the presence of the S-400 that was the reason for Ankara’s exclusion from the program in 2019, and this fact has not disappeared anywhere.

Trump is betting on Erdogan

At the NATO summit, Trump openly made it clear that he considers relations with Erdogan more important than old conflicts. He praised the Turkish president and said that friendship with him was one of the reasons for his participation in the summit in Ankara.

According to ReutersTrump simultaneously criticized a number of European allies and demonstratively strengthened relations with Turkey.

Main conclusion: The Question of Five F-35s is not a story about a few old planes. This is a test of the US’s readiness to return Turkey to the Western military club under special conditions.

If Trump decides to hand over at least the first batch to Erdogan, it will be a signal to Congress, Israel, Greece and all of Eastern Europe: the era when Türkiye was punished for the S-400 may be over. And along with it, the confidence convenient for Athens that Washington will always strengthen only one side of the Aegean balance will end.

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