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Ankara still hopes Trump will go easy on sanctions over F-35

Despite Washington’s decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 program, Ankara is still counting on President Donald Trump to limit the move to a temporary suspension with room for compromise.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson in front of a Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter on the driveway abutting the South Lawn prior to delivering remarks at a showcase of American-made products event at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 23, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC130755D2D0

Turkish air force officers once described the Joint Strike Fighter Program as a project that would “usher the Turkish air force into space.” Has this ambitious venture ended for good, now that the United States has booted Turkey from the F-35 program over its purchase of Russian air defense systems?

The White House announced on July 17 that Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 systems rendered its “continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.” Turkey has been both a buyer and co-producer in the program. Ellen Lord, the US undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters that Turkish pilots and mechanics currently in the United States for training had been told to leave by the end of July and that the process of suspending Turkey would be completed by March 2020. Lord declined to comment on whether the suspension is reversible. Ankara believes it could reverse the move — with the help of President Donald Trump.

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