U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said on Friday he expected Washington and Ankara to "soon" solve the issue of sanctions over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defenses.
"I think you are going to see the S-400 situation solved soon. From my boss's point of view, acceptance into an F-35 program is fine," Barrack said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Türkiye was excluded from the U.S.-led multinational program in 2019, and Washington imposed Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions over its purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.
Ever since, Ankara has repeatedly called the move unfair and voiced hope that the sides could overcome the issue during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the issue during the last September meeting with Trump at the White House. Trump later said the U.S. was "very seriously" considering the sale of F-35 jets to Türkiye.
In late 2024, Ankara secured a $7 billion deal with Washington for 40 F-16 jets. But talks have reportedly been dogged by Turkish concerns about the price and desire to buy F-35s instead.
Despite boasting NATO's second-largest army, Türkiye often faced arms embargoes in the past. That pushed it to significantly boost domestic capabilities and curb foreign dependence over the last two decades.
Today, it produces a wide range of vehicles and arms types domestically, including its own drones, missiles and naval vessels. It's also developing its own fifth-generation fighter jet.
Named Kaan, the stealth fighter is sought to replace the Air Force Command's aging F-16 fleet, which is planned to be phased out starting in the 2030s.
