US issues ultimatum to Türkiye over rejoining F-35 fighter program — Bloomberg
Фото: F-35 (president.gov.ua)
The US is demanding that Türkiye abandon its Russian S-400 air defense systems if Ankara wants to return to the F-35 fighter jet production and procurement program, according to US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack.
According to him, negotiations are ongoing between Washington and Ankara regarding the Russian systems that Türkiye purchased almost ten years ago. At the same time, Türkiye has expressed its desire to rejoin the F-35 program, from which it was excluded after purchasing the S-400.
Barrack stresses that the position of the US and its NATO allies remains unchanged - Ankara cannot operate or possess the S-400 if it wants to return to the F-35 program.
"As laid out in US law, Türkiye must no longer operate or possess the S-400 system to return to the F-35 program," the Ambassador stresses.
He notes that personal contacts between US President Donald Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had allowed for the most productive talks in decades on this issue.
"Our hope is that these talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months that meets both the security requirements of the US and Türkiye," the Ambassador says.
He previously stated that Türkiye was close to getting rid of the S-400 and that the issue could theoretically be resolved within four to six months.
Türkiye, meanwhile, expects that the US may lift sanctions against its defense industry without demanding that it abandon Russian missiles.
Ankara purchased the S-400 systems after the 2016 coup attempt, when the coup plotters used American F-16 fighter jets to strike the parliament and the vicinity of the presidential palace.
Türkiye intensifies efforts to acquire F-35s
US President Donald Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously discussed the S-400 missile systems during a meeting at the White House in September.
Türkiye's purchase of these systems nearly a decade ago led to its exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program and the imposition of US sanctions under CAATSA against a number of Turkish defense companies.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has already officially notified Congress of its intention to sell Türkiye 40 F-16 aircraft and about 80 kits for their modernization after Ankara completed the ratification of Sweden's accession to NATO.
Washington insisted that the S-400s pose a threat to the F-35s, while Türkiye claimed that it was able to minimize the risks and would not integrate Russian systems into NATO's defense infrastructure.
In September, Trump said he might consider allowing Ankara to purchase F-35s, noting that Erdogan would do something for them, although he did not provide any details.
