The United States on Wednesday expressed the possibility that Türkiye could return to the F-35 joint strike fighter program if a row over the S-400 air defense system Ankara acquired from Russia is resolved.
"There's no change to our view that the F-35 program for Turkey is incompatible with their use of the (Russian) S-300 and S-400 missiles. So we're still having those discussions. Should Turkey be able to resolve our concerns about that, then there could be a restoration of movement into the F-35 program," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House.
"That's where we are," he added.
The U.S. suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after objecting to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, claiming Moscow's system would endanger the fighter jets and is inoperable with NATO systems.
Ankara has repeatedly said that there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue. Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension was unwarranted.
Kirby's comments mirror those made by Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who said Monday while visiting Türkiye that Washington would "welcome Türkiye back into the F-35 family" if the S-400 row was resolved.
"If we could get through this S-400 issue, which we would like to do, the U.S. would be delighted to welcome Türkiye back into the F-35 family," Nuland said during a visit to the country.
Türkiye has demanded reimbursement for payments made for the F-35s and has since requested to buy F-16 warplanes and modernization kits to refresh its existing fleet.
After a prolonged process that frustrated Ankara, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration last Friday finally approved the $23 billion sale of 40 new F-16s, as well as nearly 80 kits after Türkiye formally ratified Sweden's membership in NATO.
Nuland also emphasized that her visit coincided with Türkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO membership and said that the purpose of her visit was to "revitalize" the relations between the two countries.
She said efforts were being made to convince American lawmakers that enhancing Türkiye's F-16 fleet is very important for American security.
Nuland stressed that Türkiye's acquisition of the F-16s is a priority for the U.S.
