Türkiye, US may resolve F-35, sanction issues by end of year: Ambassador

İZMİR

Ankara and Washington have a real opportunity to resolve long-standing disputes over the F-35 fighter jet program and CAATSA sanctions by the end of 2025, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said on June 29.

“The U.S. Congress is ready to reexamine the issue. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have both expressed the need for a ‘new beginning,’” Barrack told Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency during a visit to the Turkish western province İzmir’s historic Kemeraltı Bazaar.

Türkiye’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems in 2019 resulted in its removal from the F-35 program and triggered U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Ankara had been a financial and industrial contributor to the F-35 project.

Erdoğan has repeatedly called for the lifting of these sanctions, asserting that such a step would pave the way for revitalized defense cooperation. Washington, however, maintains that Türkiye must first remove the Russian systems before any easing of sanctions can be considered.

The ambassador acknowledged that the F-35 issue has been a topic of contention for years, but stressed that both sides now appear eager to move beyond it.

“In my view, President [Donald] Trump and President Erdoğan — along with Secretary [Marco] Rubio and Foreign Minister Fidan — will tell their teams: ‘End this, find a way forward.’ Congress will support a reasonable outcome,” he said.

“Therefore, I believe there is a genuine opportunity to reach a resolution before the end of this year,” Barrack expressed.

Barrack also noted that the coming months could witness a renewed bilateral push, with a potential meeting between the two presidents and foreign ministers.

Ankara and Washington will see a reset of the entire bilateral agenda that has been debated for the past five years, Barrack stated.

“F-35s, F-16s, S-400s, sanctions, customs tariffs — these are all secondary elements of our mission.”

Barrack said he believes, for the first time, there is a mutual commitment for the U.S. and Türkiye not just to be defense partners, but to become proactive strategic partners.