Trump Calls Turkey a “Military Power” and Says He Is Ready to Lift Sanctions: Main Takeaways from the Meeting with Erdoğan

U.S. President Donald Trump made several high-profile statements during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the 36th NATO summit. The American leader praised Turkey’s military potential, said he intended to lift defense sanctions, and confirmed his readiness to discuss Ankara’s return to the F-35 fighter program.

“Turkey has become a very strong military power”

During the talks, Trump said that under Erdoğan’s rule Turkey had significantly strengthened its armed forces.

“Turkey under your leadership has become a very strong military power,” the U.S. president said.

He also noted that he has deep respect for the Turkish leader and believes that strengthening Turkey’s defense capabilities is important not only for the country itself, but for the entire North Atlantic Alliance.

The U.S. is ready to lift sanctions

One of the main outcomes of the meeting was Trump’s statement that he intends to lift the sanctions imposed on Turkey’s defense sector after Ankara purchased Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.

We don’t want to sanction friends

According to the U.S. president, his administration is beginning work on reviewing the restrictions under the CAATSA law. It was after these sanctions were imposed that Turkey was excluded from the program for developing and purchasing American fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets.

Trump stressed that he does not consider it right to keep sanctions in place against a NATO ally, but acknowledged that a final decision will require all legal procedures to be completed and may depend on the position of the U.S. Congress.

Possible return to the F-35 program

The U.S. president also confirmed that Washington is ready to consider the possibility of Turkey returning to the F-35 program.

Before the sanctions were imposed, Ankara was one of the project participants: Turkish companies produced certain components of the aircraft, and the country planned to purchase more than 100 fighters. After the S-400 purchase, Turkey’s participation was terminated.

According to Trump, the issue of Ankara’s return to the program will be the subject of further negotiations between the two countries. No final decisions have been made so far.

Why this matters

If the U.S. does in fact lift the sanctions and restore military-technical cooperation with Turkey, this could become the biggest change in relations between the two countries in recent years.

After the S-400 purchase, relations between Washington and Ankara went through one of the most difficult periods in their history. A possible revision of U.S. policy could pave the way for restored cooperation in the defense sector and strengthen Turkey’s role as one of NATO’s key allies.

Despite Trump’s optimistic statements, the implementation of these initiatives will depend on decisions by the American authorities and further talks between Washington and Ankara.