The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, has reiterated his objective for the United States to reactivate the F-35 fighter jet purchase program for Turkey and has underlined the need for Washington to annul the sanctions imposed in 2020 for the acquisition of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems.
In statements broadcast by the TRT channel, Fidan maintained that these measures must be lifted as soon as possible, as "Turkey is a member of NATO" and, as he recalled, US President Donald Trump himself stated a few days ago that Washington "does not want to sanction its friends."
"There should be no restrictions on the military industry between allies," added the head of Turkish diplomacy, who detailed that both governments maintain contacts to unblock the conflict. In this regard, he assured that there is now "political will on the part of both the United States and Turkey."
However, the resumption of F-35 deliveries to Ankara generates misgivings in Israel, which views this possible operation with concern in a context where its ties with Turkey are going through one of their worst moments following the offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Trump himself opened the door on Tuesday to "allowing the sale of these planes" even though "a lot of people may not agree." In his opinion, "I think over time they are starting to agree. Turkey has been a great ally for us. Turkey could have gone to the other side."
All in all, the final word remains in the hands of the United States Congress, which was the institution that decided to remove Turkey from the F-35 program and which maintains sanctions against senior officials of the Turkish military complex.