---
title: "Trump Says the US Will Lift Sanctions on Turkey and May Sell It F-35 Jets"
description: "President Donald Trump said the United States would lift sanctions on Turkey and would consider letting it buy F-35 fighter jets, after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara. Both penalties date from Turkey's purchase of a Russian air-defense system; Trump's remarks signal intent, but legal hurdles remain."
category: "World"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/world
author: "Megan Chen"
published: 2026-07-07T16:30:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-07T16:30:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/trump-says-the-us-will-lift-sanctions-on-turkey-and-may-sell-it-f-35-jets
tags: ["turkey", "united-states", "f-35", "nato", "sanctions"]
---
# Trump Says the US Will Lift Sanctions on Turkey and May Sell It F-35 Jets

President Donald Trump said the United States would lift sanctions on Turkey and would consider letting it buy F-35 fighter jets, after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara. Both penalties date from Turkey's purchase of a Russian air-defense system; Trump's remarks signal intent, but legal hurdles remain.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would remove sanctions on Turkey and was open to selling it F-35 fighter jets, after talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. The remarks point to a marked warming between Washington and a difficult but strategically important ally.

## What Trump said

"We're going to be taking the sanctions off," Trump said during the meeting, calling it "time to do that," [PBS NewsHour reported](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-trump-says-in-erdogan-meeting-that-u-s-will-lift-turkey-sanctions-consider-selling-f-35s). Asked about letting Turkey back into the F-35 program, he said a sale was "certainly something we will consider" and praised Erdogan, describing Turkey as, in some ways, more helpful to the United States than more traditional partners, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/7/trump-says-will-lift-sanctions-on-turkiye-consider-selling-f-35s).

## Why the sanctions exist

The measures Trump proposes to unwind stem from Turkey's 2019 purchase of the Russian S-400 air-defense system. That decision triggered US sanctions under a law aimed at countering business with Russia's defense sector, and it also got Turkey thrown out of the F-35 program, on the grounds that operating the Russian system alongside the American stealth fighter could expose the jet's secrets, [CBS News reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nato-summit-begins-in-turkey-as-trump-pushes-for-more-defense-spending/). Ankara has long sought to reverse both penalties.

## Intent, not yet a deal

Trump's words signal a direction rather than a completed change. Lifting the sanctions and restoring F-35 access face legal steps in Washington, including a requirement to certify that Turkey is no longer holding or using the Russian system, and the process could draw scrutiny in Congress. Asked about the risk of mixing the S-400 and the F-35, Trump played down any concern.

## Reaction

The prospect drew objections abroad. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, urged the United States not to sell the jets, arguing it would disturb the military balance in the Middle East and pointing to Erdogan's hostile rhetoric toward Israel, [PBS NewsHour reported](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-trump-says-in-erdogan-meeting-that-u-s-will-lift-turkey-sanctions-consider-selling-f-35s). For Trump, the overture fits a summit at which he has leaned on allies over spending while cultivating Erdogan as a partner; for Turkey, it holds out the possibility of rejoining a program it was expelled from and shedding sanctions it has chafed under for years. Whether the intent becomes policy will depend on the details still to be worked out.

## Sources

- [Trump says will lift sanctions on Turkiye, 'consider' selling F-35s](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/7/trump-says-will-lift-sanctions-on-turkiye-consider-selling-f-35s)
- [Trump says in Erdogan meeting that US will lift Turkey sanctions, consider selling F-35s](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-trump-says-in-erdogan-meeting-that-u-s-will-lift-turkey-sanctions-consider-selling-f-35s)
- [Trump lauds Erdogan and says he'll lift Turkey sanctions](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nato-summit-begins-in-turkey-as-trump-pushes-for-more-defense-spending/)