Trump prepared to offer Türkiye path back to F-35 program at NATO summit

US President Donald Trump is expected to inform Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is prepared to allow Türkiye to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program when the two leaders meet at the upcoming NATO summit.

According to a report by the New York Times, which cited four senior administration officials, a declaration of intent to this effect is set to be presented during the bilateral meeting.

Trump, who is preparing to travel to Ankara to attend the NATO summit scheduled to begin on Tuesday evening, will hold a face-to-face meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of the event.

In reports emerging ahead of the summit, sources within the US administration indicated that officials hold differing views on how Trump will bypass the legal restrictions and sanctions imposed by Congress.

Officials noted that to overcome these restrictions and initiate the process, the two leaders could exchange formal letters addressing the matter.

Türkiye’s purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia in 2019 triggered significant strain in relations with Washington and eroded congressional support for Ankara. Following these developments, the US administration imposed sanctions on Türkiye and removed the country from the F-35 joint fighter strike program.

Congress subsequently passed legislation prohibiting any F-35 sales to Ankara as long as Türkiye possesses the S-400 system, arguing that the Russian air defense platform poses a security risk to the US-made fighter jets.

Despite the pursuit of closer relations between the two countries during the Trump presidency, the F-35 dispute remains one of the most prominent points of contention in bilateral relations.

Separately, President Trump has reiterated his call for Congress, upon its return to session, to pass the “Reconciliation 3.0” budget package—which includes $350 billion in funding for defense spending—as well as the SAVE America Act, which aims to introduce stricter rules for voting and voter registration processes.

Addressing the leadership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump demanded that these two legislative measures be treated as the highest priorities.

The US President requested that the $350 billion defense allocation under Reconciliation 3.0 be cleared by the Budget Committee as quickly as possible once Congress resumes its legislative work.