US envoy urges Ankara's F‑35 programme return

The U.S. ambassador to Türkiye said on April 17 that Washington wants to resolve the S-400 dispute soon and reopen the door to Ankara’s return to the F-35 fighter-jet program. (reuters.com) Tom Barrack, who is also the U.S. special envoy for Syria, made the remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye. Reuters reported that Barrack said the S-400 issue could be “solved soon” and that, from President Donald Trump’s point of view, Turkish participation in the F-35 program would be acceptable. (reuters.com) The dispute dates to July 2019, when the United States moved to remove Türkiye from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program after Ankara took delivery of the Russian-made S-400 air-defense system. Pentagon officials said at the time that Türkiye could not have both the S-400 and the F-35 because of risks to the jet and its systems. (defense.gov) Washington then imposed sanctions in December 2020 under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, on Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries. The State Department said Türkiye’s S-400 purchase led to its suspension and pending removal from the F-35 partnership. (state.gov) The F-35 is the United States’ fifth-generation stealth fighter, and Türkiye had been both a buyer and an industrial partner before the break. U.S. defense officials said Turkish companies had been making hundreds of parts for the aircraft before that work was shifted elsewhere. (defensenews.com; airandspaceforces.com) The issue is not only political. A recent Congressional Research Service report said U.S. law bars transfer of F-35s to Türkiye unless Ankara no longer possesses the Russian-origin S-400 system or related items. (congress.gov) That means Barrack’s comments signal political interest, not a completed deal. The same Congressional Research Service report said members of Congress still have oversight options on sanctions, arms sales and legislative conditions tied to Türkiye. (congress.gov) Türkiye has spent the past few years pressing instead for U.S.-made F-16 fighters and modernization kits while keeping alive its longer-term interest in the F-35. Congressional Research Service said advanced fighter purchases and removal of defense sanctions remain central Turkish goals in ties with Washington. (congress.gov) Barrack’s latest push puts the argument back where it stalled in 2019: whether Ankara can find a formula on the S-400 that satisfies U.S. law and U.S. security concerns. Until that changes, the path back into the F-35 program remains open in rhetoric but closed in practice. (reuters.com; congress.gov)