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President Donald Trump’s surprise pledge in Ankara to lift U.S. sanctions on Türkiye and “consider” selling F‑35 fighter jets is the kind of bold move that sounds great at a summit photo op — until you think about what it would actually mean for American security. This week’s announcement is not a small policy tweak. It opens a door that has been shut for good reasons since Türkiye bought Russian S‑400 air‑defense batteries, and it demands hard answers before anyone signs off on another jet transfer to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
What the president actually said — and why it matters
At the NATO summit, President Donald Trump told reporters he would lift sanctions and that selling F‑35s to Türkiye was “certainly something we will consider.” That sounds simple, but it’s not. The sanctions were imposed under clear legal authority because Türkiye bought S‑400s from Russia. Those systems were the very reason Türkiye was kicked out of the F‑35 program back in 2019. Reversing that move isn’t just an executive mood swing — it triggers a cascade of legal reviews, Pentagon studies, and congressional oversight, not to mention an avalanche of skeptical allies.
Legal and technical roadblocks won’t evaporate
Congress has already put statutory limits on transferring F‑35s to any country that still possesses S‑400s. The Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are rightly running reviews on how to protect sensitive technology and how to untangle the industrial web that once included Turkish parts suppliers. Even if the White House wants to lift sanctions, lawmakers and national‑security experts warn a sale without verified removal of the S‑400s would be reckless. Rep. Mike Lawler and members from both parties have raised serious red flags — and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has publicly warned that such a sale would upset the regional balance.
Why giving stealth jets to Erdoğan would be a strategic blunder
This isn’t about bad feelings toward Türkiye; it’s about hard physics and geopolitics. Operating S‑400 radar in proximity to F‑35s creates avenues for hostile actors to learn our stealth signatures. We don’t hand our most advanced toys to a country that bought its own surveillance gear from Moscow and then shrugged when warned. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has shown he’ll cozy up to whoever suits his short‑term goals — fine for trade deals, not fine for platforms that could expose American and allied secrets. If Trump wants to be the friend who throws a diplomatic bone, fine. But don’t turn that friendship into a national‑security liability with a congressional fight and Israel breathing down our neck.
Next steps: verify, legislate, don’t negotiate away security
If the administration truly plans to move forward, there are sensible conditions that must come first: verified removal of every S‑400 system or guaranteed transfer to a neutral party, strict technical safeguards and reworked supply chains, and — crucially — Congress’s buy‑in. Any other route is executive wing improvisation that courts legal fights and weakens NATO trust. President Trump is right to pursue better ties with allies, but a handshake and a smile shouldn’t outweigh the facts on radar screens and in classified briefings. Don’t sell the F‑35s until Ankara proves it no longer poses a threat to the technology we and our partners rely on.
