US President Donald Trump has said that Washington will lift sanctions on Türkiye imposed under the CAATSA law and indicated a decision on the long-running F-35 fighter jet dispute is imminent, as he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara ahead of the NATO Leaders’ Summit.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters before closed-door talks with Erdogan on Tuesday.
Asked specifically about CAATSA sanctions on Türkiye, Trump replied: “The US will be lifting sanctions.”
“Don’t want to sanction friends,” he added.
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F-35 jets
Turning to the F-35 programme, Trump said the issue would be addressed during the visit.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” he said.
Erdogan said the dispute over the fifth-generation fighter jets was not new and had been discussed repeatedly with Washington.
“We have been promised five jets,” the Turkish president said, adding that he expected the issue to move “in a positive course” during the NATO summit.
Erdogan also said he believed a favourable decision on the F-35 programme would emerge from the Ankara summit, adding that Trump had consistently stood by his commitments.
Trump also touched on Türkiye’s indigenous KAAN fighter jet programme, saying that Washington had “an obligation to maintain engines.”
Erdogan said Trump would announce “good news” regarding US support for KAAN engine cooperation.
