A diplomatic maneuver that might create space to work around the congressional restrictions
Seven years after a weapons purchase fractured one of NATO's most consequential partnerships, Donald Trump arrives in Ankara carrying what may be an olive branch wrapped in stealth technology. The offer to restore Turkey's place in the F-35 program signals that the Trump administration views the alliance's strategic geometry as more important than the unresolved question of Russian military hardware on NATO soil. Whether this gesture can be translated into law — or whether it will collide with a Congress that has not forgotten why Turkey was removed in the first place — remains the deeper test of how far pragmatism can bend principle.
- A seven-year rupture over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems may be nearing its most consequential turning point yet, as Trump prepares to personally signal F-35 readmission to Erdogan at a NATO summit in Ankara.
- The tension is not merely diplomatic — U.S. law explicitly bars F-35 sales to Turkey as long as the S-400 remains in Turkish hands, meaning any restoration would require navigating or circumventing a congressional prohibition.
- Trump's team has floated a letter exchange between the two leaders as a potential mechanism to create legal maneuvering room, though no formal approach has been settled and the White House has stayed publicly silent.
- Last month's $700 million jet engine sale notification to Congress already signaled a warming trajectory, but the F-35 question is an order of magnitude more politically and militarily charged.
- For Erdogan, rejoining the program would be a vindication; for Trump, it deepens ties with a pivotal regional partner — but for skeptical lawmakers, the security logic that drove Turkey's expulsion has not changed.
Donald Trump is traveling to Ankara for a NATO summit with a significant offer in hand: Turkey's readmission to the F-35 stealth fighter program. Citing four senior administration officials, the New York Times reports that Trump intends to signal this willingness directly to President Erdogan when the two meet, with the conversation expected to be one of the summit's defining moments.
The roots of the dispute stretch back to 2019, when Turkey purchased Russia's S-400 air defense system — a decision Washington treated as a fundamental breach of alliance trust. The United States expelled Turkey from the F-35 program, imposed sanctions, and Congress passed legislation explicitly prohibiting any F-35 sale to Turkey for as long as the Russian system remained in Turkish hands. The concern was concrete: American officials argued the S-400 could harvest intelligence on the F-35's stealth capabilities, compromising NATO's most advanced technology.
Under Trump, the relationship has visibly thawed. Last month, his administration formally notified Congress of plans to sell Turkey jet engines worth over $700 million — a clear signal of shifting priorities. Now comes the harder question of how to restore F-35 access when the legal barrier is written into statute. Officials have discussed several approaches, including a potential exchange of letters between Trump and Erdogan that might create diplomatic space to work around congressional restrictions, though no mechanism has been finalized.
For Erdogan, the offer would represent a long-sought vindication — Turkey has consistently argued its S-400 purchase posed no threat to NATO. For Trump, it is a way to consolidate a relationship with a key regional player. But Congress has not signaled any change of heart, and the law remains on the books. Any formal move to restore Turkey's F-35 access would almost certainly ignite a legislative confrontation over whether the security calculus has genuinely changed — or whether it is simply being set aside.
Donald Trump is heading to Ankara this week for a NATO summit, and he plans to bring a significant offer to the table: Turkey can rejoin the F-35 stealth fighter program. According to reporting from the New York Times, citing four senior administration officials, Trump intends to signal this willingness directly to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when they meet. The summit begins Tuesday evening, and this conversation is expected to be one of its centerpieces.
The backstory here is seven years of frozen relations over a single weapons purchase. In 2019, Turkey bought the S-400 air defense system from Russia—a move that Washington viewed as a fundamental breach of trust. The United States responded by kicking Turkey out of the F-35 program and imposing sanctions. Congress went further, passing legislation that explicitly barred any sale of F-35 fighters to Turkey so long as the country kept the Russian system. The reasoning was straightforward: American officials argued that the S-400 posed a security threat to the stealth technology embedded in the F-35, and allowing Turkey to operate both systems simultaneously would compromise NATO's military secrets.
For years, this has been a wound that wouldn't close. Turkey is a NATO member and a crucial strategic partner in the Middle East, yet it was locked out of one of the alliance's most advanced weapons systems. The frustration ran deep on both sides. But under Trump's administration, the temperature has shifted noticeably. Last month, his team formally notified Congress of plans to sell Turkey jet engines worth more than $700 million—a signal that the relationship was thawing.
Now comes the harder part: how to actually restore F-35 access when Congress has written it into law. According to the New York Times report, Trump's officials have discussed various approaches, though they haven't settled on a single mechanism. One possibility they've floated is an exchange of letters between Trump and Erdogan—a diplomatic maneuver that might create space to work around the congressional restrictions. The details remain murky, and the White House has not yet commented publicly on the plan.
What's clear is that this represents a significant shift in how the Trump administration views the Turkey relationship. Rather than treating the S-400 purchase as a permanent disqualification, officials are signaling openness to finding a path forward. Whether Congress will accept that path is another question entirely. The law that bars F-35 sales to Turkey remains on the books, and lawmakers who supported it have not indicated they've changed their minds about the security risks. Any formal restoration of Turkey's access would likely trigger a fight on Capitol Hill, with some members arguing that nothing has changed about the fundamental incompatibility between Russian and American military systems.
For Erdogan, this offer—if it materializes—would be a diplomatic victory. Turkey has long maintained that the S-400 poses no threat to NATO, and that the United States was being unfairly punitive. Rejoining the F-35 program would vindicate that position and restore Turkey's standing as a full participant in Western military modernization. For Trump, it's a way to strengthen a relationship with a key regional player ahead of what promises to be a contentious NATO summit. The question now is whether the diplomatic choreography can actually work, or whether Congress will force the issue back into the open.
Citas Notables
Trump officials differed on details of how to work around congressional and legal restrictions, but suggested an exchange of letters between the two leaders could be a path forward— Senior administration officials, per New York Times reporting
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Turkey's purchase of a Russian air defense system still matter so much seven years later?
Because it sits at the intersection of NATO security and great power competition. The S-400 is designed to detect and track stealth aircraft. If Turkey has one and also operates F-35s, theoretically Russia gains intelligence about how the stealth technology performs in real conditions. That's not just a technical problem—it's a political one.
But Turkey is a NATO ally. Doesn't that count for something?
It does, which is why this has been so painful for everyone involved. Turkey isn't an adversary; it's a member state. But it made a choice that Washington saw as a betrayal of that membership. The question became: how do you punish an ally without breaking the alliance?
So why is Trump suddenly willing to let this go?
He's not letting it go so much as reframing it. His administration seems to believe that maintaining the relationship with Turkey matters more than enforcing the principle. It's a transactional calculation—Turkey is useful, the F-35 dispute is costly, so find a way to move past it.
What about Congress? They wrote the law.
That's the real obstacle. Congress has its own view of what constitutes a security risk, and they've codified it. Trump can signal willingness, but he can't unilaterally overturn legislation. Any actual restoration would require either congressional approval or a creative legal argument that his lawyers believe they can make.
And if Congress says no?
Then you're back where you started—Turkey out, the relationship strained, and the NATO summit becomes a place where those tensions are on full display rather than resolved.