U.S. President Donald Trump brushed aside reported Israeli opposition to a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye on Monday, praising Ankara as "a tremendous ally" and insisting that no country would dictate U.S. arms sales ahead of his scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Responding to a question about Israel's reported objection to a possible F-35 deal with Türkiye, Trump rejected the notion that outside actors could influence U.S. defense sales.
"Türkiye has been a tremendous ally," Trump said. "Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not selling."
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Washington to Michigan, Trump also described President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a friend and reiterated that decisions on U.S. weapons sales would be made solely by Washington. He acknowledged the well-known differences between Türkiye and Israel but emphasized that Türkiye remains a strong country with a powerful military, describing its armed forces as among the strongest in the region and well equipped.
Trump also reiterated his praise of Erdoğan's role in Syria, saying he believed the Turkish leader had handled the issue effectively. He described Erdoğan as a friend and reiterated that no one would dictate U.S. arms sales policy. While acknowledging longstanding tensions between Türkiye and Israel and noting Ankara's strained relations with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Trump emphasized that Türkiye has been a valuable ally to the United States. He also highlighted the country's military strength, describing Türkiye as a powerful nation with one of the region's largest and best-equipped armed forces.
The issue resurfaced after Trump signaled at the recent NATO summit alongside President Erdoğan that Washington was prepared to lift sanctions on Türkiye and was open to selling F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
The prospect prompted public criticism from Netanyahu, with Axios later reporting that Trump was angered by the remarks, quoting White House officials as saying the U.S. president believed Netanyahu "had no right" to weigh in on American arms sales decisions.
Türkiye was removed from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring Russia's S-400 air defense system, prompting U.S. sanctions despite Ankara's role as a production partner in the fighter jet program.
President Erdoğan has previously described Türkiye's removal from the F-35 program as unjust, arguing that restoring Ankara's participation would strengthen NATO's collective security.
Despite fielding NATO's second-largest military, Türkiye has faced repeated arms restrictions from some allies over the years. In response, Ankara has significantly expanded its domestic defense industry over the past two decades to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
Today, Türkiye manufactures a broad range of defense systems domestically, including armed drones, missiles, armored vehicles and naval platforms, while also developing its indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN.
