The US ambassador in Turkey on Sunday referred to a real “opportunity” for Washington and Ankara to resolve long-standing differences to allow the latter to return to the F-35 acquisition program, which would mean overturning CAATSA restrictions by the end of the year.
In a wide-ranging interview given to Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu news agency, billionaire investor and Trump confidant Tom Barrack first said a meeting between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will happen in a few months, before expressing confidence that a solution can be reached by the end of the year.
File photo: U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
The US threw Turkey out of the F-35 development and acquisition program, primarily because of the latter’s purchase and activation of the Russian-made S400 anti-aircraft system.
He said both governments and the respective Secretary of State and Turkish foreign minister will instruct their offices to find a mutually acceptable solution, and that Congress will back a “realistic agreement”, i.e. to lift CAATSA sanctions.
