Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Ankara and Washington are working on “creative ideas” to lift the US sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. In an interview with NTV, he did not disclose details but expressed hope for positive steps. The sanctions were imposed in 2020, when Washington also removed Turkey—a NATO member—from the F-35 fighter jet program.
The issue remains sensitive amid earlier promises. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he had received a promise from US President Donald Trump regarding the F-35s and was awaiting its implementation. Reports said that at the July NATO summit, Trump promised to lift the sanctions under the CAATSA law—the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act—and consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Ankara. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Fox News that he had asked Trump not to advance the deal, warning that it would upset the balance of power in the Middle East and undermine Israel’s air superiority.
According to the head of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ankara, Turkey is seeking not only to lift restrictions on a number of defense industry executives but also to secure the ability to conduct banking transactions for the defense sector—something that would require CAATSA to be repealed. It remains unclear which specific “creative” mechanisms are being discussed with Washington, but the issue affects the interests of NATO, Russia, and Israel. As a result, any steps taken by the United States will be closely monitored both in Ankara and beyond.
Full version: Fidan: We are working with Washington on “creative ideas” to lift the sanctions against us