President Donald Trump has signalled a major reversal in US policy towards Turkey, saying he plans to lift American sanctions on Ankara's defence sector and is prepared to proceed with the long-stalled sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets. Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump described Turkey as a loyal ally and dismissed concerns about the country's continued possession of a Russian-made air defence system. The move matters because it would restore defence ties that have been strained for years and reintegrate one of NATO's largest militaries into a flagship American weapons programme.

Turkey was expelled from the multinational F-35 programme in 2019 after taking delivery of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system, which Washington argued could expose sensitive US stealth technology if operated alongside the jets. Congress subsequently imposed sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Pressed on the risks posed by the S-400, Trump said he had "no concerns about anything" and stated, "We don't sanction friends," though his remarks stopped short of a formal agreement and existing legal restrictions remain in place.