SAEDNEWS: Turkey’s planned return to the F-35 program has reportedly stalled in Washington, with U.S. lawmakers insisting that Ankara must fully give up its Russian S-400 air defense systems.
According to SaedNews: Israel Hayom reported Friday that the proposed delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey has encountered significant opposition and obstacles in Washington, leaving the project effectively at a standstill.
The report said U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to advance and promote the sale of F-35s to Turkey has run into difficulties more than a month after he announced his intention to move forward. The U.S. news outlet Semafor reported the situation after speaking with American officials and lawmakers familiar with the case.
At the center of the dispute is Turkey’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Under U.S. law, Ankara must give up the system in order to receive the F-35s.
Turkey has already paid for six of the aircraft, but they have remained in the United States since Ankara was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 following its purchase of the Russian system.
One proposal under discussion is to deactivate the S-400s, potentially allowing the Trump administration to proceed with the transaction. However, lawmakers in Washington argue that U.S. law requires Turkey to completely relinquish the systems rather than merely deactivate them.
Another option reportedly involves selling the S-400s to the United Arab Emirates. Turkey held talks on the matter last month, but informed sources said those discussions have made no progress.
Republican Senator Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a longstanding opponent of the deal, said the situation remains unchanged. “The S-400s have not been delivered or removed, so the situation is completely stalled,” he said.
Republican Senator Rick Scott also opposed transferring the aircraft while the Russian air defense system remains in Turkey. He said Turkey cannot receive F-35s as long as it possesses the S-400, adding that despite his contacts with the U.S. administration, he had heard of no real progress.
According to the report, Israel, alongside members of Congress, is seeking to preserve the restrictions preventing delivery of the advanced aircraft to Turkey. Tel Aviv is concerned that Turkish access to F-35s could weaken Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last month, only hours after Trump raised the possibility of selling the jets while meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit, that equipping Ankara with F-35s could “upend the balance of power in the Middle East.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington, has also declared its opposition to the move.
