Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400
Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough.
ANKARA / WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he remains undecided about whether his administration will readmit NATO ally Turkey into the club of nations allowed to purchase Lockheed-Martin's fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
Asked during the press conference about Ankara’s potential readmission to the US-led program, Trump replied, “Whether or not we do that, I haven’t totally made up my mind. But my inclination is to say, look, he’s done everything. He’s helped us in different ways.”
Congressional scrutiny
Trump's comments at the closing press conference of this year's NATO summit in Ankara came a day after the US president said he intended to do away with congressionally mandated sanctions that have blocked major US arms sales to Ankara since 2021.
