Trump dismisses Israeli opposition to potential F-35 sale to Turkiye

US President Donald Trump on Monday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye, Anadolu reports.

“Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

He described Turkiye as a “tremendous ally” that has done a “very good job” in regional matters, including Syria.

While acknowledging that Ankara is “not a big fan” of Israel or Netanyahu, the US president emphasized that the bilateral partnership between Washington and Ankara remains strong.

During the NATO summit in Turkiye, Trump said he would “certainly consider” restoring sales to Ankara, characterizing Turkiye as being “much more loyal than other countries.”

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump has taken a “positive approach” on delivering F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye.

Trump’s remarks confirmed earlier media reports which indicated that he was “pissed off” by Netanyahu’s public criticism of a proposed US sale of the jets to Turkiye.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the US suspended Turkiye from the F-35 program after objecting to its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, claiming the Russian system would endanger the fighter jets.

Turkiye has repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two systems and proposed a commission to study the issue. Ankara also says it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension violated the rules, maintaining that the jets would strengthen not only Turkiye, but also NATO.

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