- July 7, 2026
- 11:55 am
- Middle East
Donald Trump is expected to inform Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the US is ready to return Turkey to the F-35 program.
This concerns the lifting of the ban that Trump himself imposed seven years ago for national security reasons. This is reported by The New York Times.
For Ankara, this could be a major diplomatic victory.
For Israel, it is a signal to be watched very closely.
Why Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program
In 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after purchasing Russian S-400 missile systems.
In Washington, the concern was not the deal with Moscow itself, but its consequences for NATO security and American technologies.
The US believed that Turkey could use the S-400 to study the characteristics of the latest F-35s, and that Russia could gain access to information about the aircraft’s stealth and missile evasion capabilities through these systems.
What is being discussed now
According to NYT, Trump may announce the policy change at the NATO summit in Ankara this week.
Earlier, he said he would bring Erdogan a gift that would make him “very happy.” It is now becoming clear that this gift could be Turkey’s return to the F-35.
But the decision will not be automatic.
Resistance may already arise in the US Congress, and some lawmakers may try to block a move that seems too risky given previous grievances with Ankara.
What will happen with the Russian S-400s
The main question remains: what to do with the Russian S-400 systems, which led to Turkey’s exclusion from the program.
According to one administration official actively involved in the negotiations, the option of transferring the S-400 to a third party is being discussed.
Another scenario is to render the systems inoperable, for example, by dismantling key components.
Many of these systems, it is noted, are still in shipping containers.
This is an important detail. It allows Washington and Ankara to seek a formula in which Turkey formally renounces the threat to the F-35, but Erdogan does not appear to have capitulated under US pressure.
Why Ankara is so eager for the F-35
Turkey has been trying to return to the F-35 program for many years.
For Erdogan, it is not only a matter of aviation but also a matter of status: Turkey wants to remain a major NATO military power capable of playing an independent game between the US, Russia, the Middle East, and Europe.
At the same time, Ankara has so far been unwilling to give up the air defense systems purchased from Russia, despite being a NATO member and hosting an American base on its territory where nuclear weapons are stored in case of a possible NATO conflict with Moscow.
The Israeli angle: F-35, Turkey, and Netanyahu’s words
For Israel, Turkey’s possible return to the F-35 is not a technical news but a strategic issue.
Turkey remains a NATO member, an important regional power, and a state with serious military ambitions. However, relations between Ankara and Jerusalem remain tense, and Erdogan’s rhetoric towards Israel has long gone beyond ordinary diplomatic criticism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated in an interview with Fox & Friends: “Turkey is a great country, but it is led by a man who openly calls for the destruction of Israel… and openly talks about conquering Jerusalem.”
That is why the Israeli audience needs to look at this story more broadly than just an aircraft deal.
At the center of the issue is not only the F-35 but the balance of power in the region, US relations with NATO allies, and the price Washington is willing to pay for rapprochement with Ankara.
In this context, NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency views the situation not as a separate US-Turkish episode but as part of a larger regional picture where the interests of Israel, Ukraine, NATO, and Russia intersect at one point again.
What is important to understand now
If Trump indeed returns Turkey to the F-35 program, it will be a strong political gesture towards Erdogan.
But for Israel, the main question will not be the gesture itself but its consequences: what guarantees will Washington receive that the Russian S-400s will not be used against NATO technologies, and how will the military balance in the Middle East change.
Ankara has long been playing on several fronts simultaneously.
That is why any concession to Turkey from the US will be closely scrutinized not only in Congress but also in Jerusalem.
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