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F-35 Fight at NATO
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced any possible sale of U.S. F-35 fighter jets to Turkey mere hours after President Donald Trump floated the suggestion while attending the annual NATO summit.
“Netanyahu said the possibility of the deal wouldn’t make Turkey “a friendly state to the United States””
Netanyahu told CNN anchor Dana Bash that the possibility of the deal wouldn’t make Turkey “a friendly state to the United States,” and he argued it “would destroy the power balance in the Middle East.”
Trump, in a bilateral meeting at NATO with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said reversing a congressional ban against Turkey purchasing F-35 jets was “a decision we are going to make.”
The dispute is framed around Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems in 2019, which led the U.S. to boot Turkey from the F-35 programme and impose sanctions under CAATSA.
Trump Meets Erdogan, Israel Pushes Back
United States President Donald Trump said he will lift sanctions on Turkiye and will soon decide on resuming sales of F-35s, speaking as he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara.
Trump told reporters, “That’s a decision we’re going to make… it’s a great plane, the best plane by far and it’s certainly something we will consider,” while Erdogan said he hoped for a “favourable decision” on the F-35s and added that Turkiye had previously been promised five jets.
Netanyahu pressed the U.S. not to reopen the path for Turkey to acquire U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, warning that Erdogan’s hostility toward Israel and other nations makes the NATO ally an unacceptable security risk.
In a Fox News appearance, Netanyahu said, “For a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants 'Death to America,' from that side of the spectrum, I don't think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets,” and he cautioned the move could “upset the power balance in the Middle East.”
What’s at Stake Next
The reporting ties the F-35 question to a broader regional security contest, with Netanyahu warning that any change would “upset the power balance in the Middle East,” which he said is “ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by America’s posture in the Middle East.”
“Reuters reported last month that the Trump administration has formally notified Congress of its intention to sell more than $700 million of jet engines to Turkey”
The Times of Israel reported that Reuters had said the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell more than $700 million of jet engines to Turkey, and it cited Netanyahu’s argument that such a move would “upset the balance of power in the Middle East.”
News18 said Trump and Erdoğan would discuss a $700 million deal for new engines for Turkey’s fighter jets, while also raising the possibility of Turkey rejoining the F-35 programme after it was removed in 2019 for purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defence system.
In the same set of accounts, the Al Jazeera report said any move to return Turkiye to the F-35 programme would need to overcome a 2020 law requiring a presidential administration to determine Ankara no longer possesses or operates the Russian systems.
