Ankara, July 7, 2026: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington would lift sanctions on Turkiye and decide on a potential sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ankara, as he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Nato summit.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). He added that the US would also make a decision on the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye and discuss trade with President Erdogan.
Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkiye in 2020 over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defence system and also removed Ankara from the F-35 programme, a move Turkiye has long described as unjust and illegal. Reports ahead of the meeting said Trump was expected to back a possible restoration of Turkiye’s access to the fighter jet programme, although legal and congressional hurdles remain unresolved.
The announcement came as Nato leaders gathered in Ankara for a summit overshadowed by pressure from Trump on European allies to increase defence spending and reduce reliance on the United States for Europe’s security.
Ahead of the summit, Nato leaders and defence companies unveiled major arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in a show of increased military investment across the alliance. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte called for a “defence industry revolution”, warning of growing threats from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, and stressing the need to rapidly expand military capabilities.
Among the announcements were European purchases of surveillance drones from Northrop Grumman, a Nato order for aircraft from Saab, and a draft agreement between Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall to jointly produce Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles in Germany. Rutte also said Nato allies would invest more than $40 billion over the next five years in anti-drone capabilities.
Trump has repeatedly criticised European members of the alliance for failing to contribute enough to collective defence and relying too heavily on the US. According to Rutte, Nato’s European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defence in real terms in 2025 than in 2024, bringing total spending to more than $570 billion.
The summit also comes amid heightened tensions within Nato following the US attack on Iran earlier this year. European officials have voiced concern over Trump’s criticism of allies during the conflict, while the alliance is also expected to reaffirm support for Ukraine and pledge €70 billion in assistance for 2026.
