US ambassador says key obstacle to Turkey’s F-35 return may soon be resolved: report
A US soldier stands guard beside a Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet at the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget outside Paris on June 21, 2017. CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has said Turkey is moving closer to removing a key obstacle caused by its acquisition of a Russian missile system as it seeks to rejoin the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, Bloomberg reported.
Barrack, speaking Friday at a conference in Abu Dhabi, said Turkey has addressed the “operability” concerns surrounding its Russian-made S-400 missile system because it is not in use. But he noted that Turkey’s continued possession of the missiles remains a point of tension with Washington.
“My belief is that those issues will be resolved in the next four to six months,” Barrack said.
To a question asking if Turkey was getting closer to getting rid of the Russian system, he said “yes.”
Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia, a move Washington said violated US law and compromised the secrecy of NATO technologies. The purchase triggered sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which Turkey remains subject to.
Ankara has since lobbied for reinstatement, arguing that its expulsion was unfair. The issue has resurfaced amid reports of renewed contacts between Ankara and Washington on fighter jet cooperation.
Any sale of advanced US military systems also requires congressional approval, giving lawmakers significant authority over the process at a time when both Israeli and Greek officials have voiced concerns about Turkey’s potential return to the program.
Washington has said any change would require a “clear and permanent” solution to the S-400 dispute. Ankara has so far refused to dismantle or transfer the system, leaving the issue unresolved.
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the S-400 missile system during their meeting at the White House in September.
At the time, Trump said he might be open to allowing Turkey to rejoin the F-35 program, saying Erdoğan was “going to do something for us,” without offering details.
The United States and Turkey have the two largest armies in NATO, providing critical military capabilities to the alliance.
