In a joint press appearance alongside NATO Secretary General, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at a potential defense breakthrough with Turkey, specifically addressing whether he would bring a “big gift” for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: F-35 fighter jets and engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN aircraft.
“I think so,” Trump responded. “Turkey is a NATO member. Some people don’t see it that way, but it truly is. It is a strong member of NATO. And yes, I will probably do something that will make them very happy. President Erdoğan is a good man, and Turkey has a tremendous defense industrial base. People do not realize how important Turkey is from a military standpoint. It has a very powerful military, and they have a lot of our equipment.”
Trump confirms attendance at Ankara summit
President Trump also confirmed he will travel to Turkey in less than two weeks to attend the NATO summit in Ankara, noting that the decision was made out of personal respect for the Turkish leader.
Recounting a recent conversation, Trump stated, “[Erdoğan] called me and said, ‘Please, I’m hosting it in Turkey—you have to be there. The United States has to be there.’ So, I’m going out of respect for President Erdoğan.”
Throughout his remarks, Trump repeatedly praised Erdoğan, describing him as “a great leader,” “a very strong person,” and “a respected man.”
Diplomatic restraint in the Iran conflict
The U.S. President also credited his personal diplomacy for keeping Turkey and other global powers out of the recent conflict involving Iran, portraying their restraint as a major success for American foreign policy.
“He is not a big fan of Israel, as you know. And I asked him to stay out of it,” Trump said, adding that Erdoğan ultimately complied. Trump noted that he had personally urged both President Erdoğan and Chinese President Xi Jinping to remain on the sidelines. “Everybody stayed out. It was quite amazing,” he added, suggesting that regional leaders were surprised by the high degree of restraint maintained during the crisis.
Administration reviewing F-35 restrictions
While the President expressed optimism, Vice President JD Vance provided additional context on the legal hurdles regarding Turkey’s potential return to the F-35 program, from which Ankara was removed in 2019 following its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
According to Vance, a formal review process is currently underway to determine how a sale could legally move forward.
“Pete [Hegseth] and the entire team are looking at the issue right now because there are certain things we need to certify have happened in order to comply with U.S. law. The President has asked us to do that,” Vance told reporters.
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