Türkiye ready to abandon Russian air defense for F-35 aircraft — Bloomberg
Photo: Türkiye is ready to abandon Russian air defense systems in favor of F-35 aircraft (Getty Images)
Türkiye is close to overcoming a key obstacle preventing it from concluding a deal to purchase American F-35 fighter jets, according to Bloomberg.
According to US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, Türkiye has resolved the operability issues with its S-400 missile systems, as they are not being used. However, Türkiye still possesses these launchers and missiles, which creates problems for the US.
"My belief is that those issues will be resolved in the next upcoming four to six months," Barrack says.
When asked if Türkiye was moving closer to abandoning the Russian systems, he replies in the affirmative.
Türkiye steps up efforts to acquire F-35s
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, previously discussed the S-400 missile systems during a meeting at the White House in September.
Türkiye's purchase of anti-aircraft missile systems nearly a decade ago led to its exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet development program and the imposition of US sanctions, known as CAATSA, against some Turkish defense companies.
However, the administration of US President Joe Biden has officially notified Congress of its intention to begin selling 40 F-16 aircraft and nearly 80 modernization kits to Türkiye after Ankara completed the ratification of Sweden's NATO membership.
The US also claimed that the S-400s pose a threat to the aircraft's stealth capabilities, while Ankara insisted that it would take measures against such risks, stating that it would not make Russian equipment part of its NATO-integrated defense architecture.
In September, Trump suggested that he might be open to allowing Türkiye to purchase F-35s, saying that Erdogan would do something for us, although he did not specify what that might be.
