At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Tom Barrack, the United States ambassador to Turkey, suggested there could be developments ahead in long-running defense disputes between Washington and Ankara.

Barrack described US-Turkey ties as currently being at a strong point. A central issue remains Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, which prompted sanctions from the United States and led to Ankara’s exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program. “I think you’re going to see this S-400 situation solved soon,” Barrack said, without providing specific details on how such a resolution might be reached.

He also questioned the effectiveness of sanctions, arguing that such measures have not achieved their intended goals.

F-35 program

Barrack indicated that, from the US administration’s perspective, Turkey’s participation in advanced defense programs could be reconsidered. “Acceptance into an F-35 program is fine,” he said, while drawing a comparison with Greece’s defense posture. “Greece has S-300s and F-35s,” he noted.

Barrack also referred to recent meetings between US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggesting that dialogue between the two sides has resumed. He noted that discussions are ongoing regarding F-16 fighter jets, while adding that “the alliance is being rebuilt,” without elaborating further.

Greek-Turkish relations

When asked about Greek-Turkish relations, Barrack declined to engage with the substance of the issue, instead offering a joking response. “The Greece-Turkey issue… that’s another historic issue… I won’t even attempt to get there, because they’ll forbid me from ever going to Mykonos again,” he said.