Trump-Erdogan ties are propelling F-35 talks with once-banned partner

ISTANBUL (AP) — The close relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brought the countries closer to resolving issues that led to Turkey being kicked off the F-35 fighter jet program, the United States ambassador to Ankara said Nov. 10.

“The positive relationship between President Trump and President Erdogan has created a new atmosphere of cooperation, which has led to the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade,” Ambassador Tom Barrack wrote in a social media post.

During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed NATO ally Turkey from the next-generation fighter program after Turkey purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.

Ankara has long sought to be readmitted to the project, which was developed by the U.S. and other NATO members. Erdogan has said Turkey invested $1.4 billion before it was suspended from the program in 2019. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act the following year.

Barrack, who is also Trump’s special envoy for Syria, said there were “ongoing discussions with Türkiye regarding their desire to rejoin the F-35 program and their possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.”

Using the Turkish government’s preferred spelling for Turkey, he said the “positive relationship” between Trump and Erdogan had “created a new atmosphere of cooperation, which has led to the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.

“Our hope is that these talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months that meets both the security requirements of the United States and Türkiye.”

While it has been excluded from receiving F-35s, Turkey has been looking elsewhere to bolster its air force, including Eurofighter Typhoons and U.S.-made F-16s. It is developing its own fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet, which is expected to enter service in 2028.

In a meeting with Erdogan at the White House in September, Trump signaled that the U.S. might soon lift the ban on sales of F-35s to Ankara. The two leaders forged what Trump has described as a “very good relationship” during his first White House term.

The Obama and Biden administrations kept Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for 22 years, at arm’s length. U.S. officials cited concerns about Turkey’s human rights record and the country’s ties with Russia. Tensions between Turkey and Israel, another important American ally, have made relations difficult with Turkey at times.

Trump sees Erdogan as an intermediary in his efforts to find ends to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. U.S. and European leaders have followed Erdogan in embracing Syria’s new interim government.

伊斯坦布尔（美联社）——美国驻安卡拉大使11月10日表示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安之间的密切关系，使两国在解决导致土耳其被踢出F-35战斗机项目的问题上走得更近了。

“特朗普总统和埃尔多安总统之间的积极关系创造了一种新的合作氛围，这使得我们近十年来就此议题进行了最富有成效的对话，”汤姆·巴拉克大使在社交媒体上发帖写道。

在特朗普第一任期内，美国将北约盟国土耳其从下一代战斗机项目中除名，原因是土耳其从俄罗斯购买了一套防空系统。美国官员担心，土耳其使用俄罗斯的S-400导弹系统可能会被用来收集F-35的性能数据，而这些信息最终可能会落入俄罗斯手中。

安卡拉长期以来一直寻求重新加入该项目，该项目由美国和其他北约成员国共同开发。埃尔多安曾表示，土耳其在2019年被暂停参与该项目之前，已投资14亿美元。次年，美国还根据《以制裁反击美国敌人法案》对土耳其实施了制裁。

巴拉克同时也是特朗普的叙利亚问题特使，他表示“目前正在与土耳其就其重新加入F-35项目的意愿以及其拥有俄罗斯制造的S-400防空系统进行讨论”。

他使用土耳其政府推荐的土耳其拼写方式表示，特朗普和埃尔多安之间的“积极关系”创造了一种新的合作氛围，这促成了近十年来我们在这一话题上最富有成果的对话。

“我们希望这些会谈能在未来几个月取得突破，既满足美国的安全需求，也满足土耳其的安全需求。”

尽管土耳其无缘接收F-35战机，但它一直在寻求其他途径来增强空军实力，包括引进欧洲台风战斗机和美国制造的F-16战机。土耳其正在研发其第五代KAAN战斗机，预计将于2028年服役。

9月在白宫与埃尔多安会晤时，特朗普暗示美国可能很快会解除对安卡拉出售F-35战机的禁令。在特朗普的第一个白宫任期内，两位领导人建立了特朗普所说的“非常好的关系”。

奥巴马和拜登政府都与执政22年的埃尔多安保持距离。美国官员表示，他们担忧土耳其的人权记录及其与俄罗斯的关系。土耳其与美国另一个重要盟友以色列之间的紧张关系，也使美土关系时常陷入困境。

特朗普将埃尔多安视为其寻求结束乌克兰和加沙战争的中间人。美国和欧洲领导人也追随埃尔多安，支持叙利亚新成立的过渡政府。