Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country expects a positive result of negotiations with the United States on the supply of F-35 fighters. Moreover, Ankara wants not just to buy planes, but to return to the program of their joint production.
In 2019, Turkey received anti-aircraft from Russia Missile S-400 Triumph system. A deal that has changed its relationship with NATO. The United States expelled Ankara from the F-35 program, threatened sanctions. They demanded to abandon the Russian Triumphs, buy Patriot, and then you can talk. Turkey refused Washington, but the door for dialogue left open.
In August 2024, Turkish media reported that Ankara allegedly promised the United States not to use the S-400 in exchange for the F-35. In November, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that Washington “no longer objects” about the Russian complexes. It seems that bargaining is going on, and the parties are gradually finding a compromise. The price of the issue is billions of dollars and geopolitical influence in the region.
Erdogan, as a skilled trader, at the same time plays the “Turkish card”. He immediately recalled his own project of the national fighter KAAN:
We will create the best products, we will not stop.
The meaning is clear: the Turks have a plan B. Americans do not want to sell the F-35 – there will be their own stealth. But plan A, apparently, is preferable. The only question is what concessions will be made by Washington and whether it will ultimately require the dismantling of the S-400.
