US President Donald Trump has rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
“Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump told reporters on Monday aboard Air Force One.
He described Türkiye as a “tremendous ally” that has done a "very good job" in regional matters, including Syria.
While acknowledging that Ankara is "not a big fan" of Israel or Netanyahu, the US president emphasised that the bilateral partnership between Washington and Ankara remains strong.
During the NATO summit in Türkiye, Trump said he would "certainly consider" restoring sales to Ankara, characterising Türkiye as being "much more loyal than other countries."
‘Positive approach’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump has taken a "positive approach" on delivering F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Trump’s remarks confirmed earlier media reports which indicated that he was “pissed off” by Netanyahu’s public criticism of a proposed US sale of the jets to Türkiye.
In 2019, during Trump's first term, the US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 programme after objecting to its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defence system, claiming the Russian system would endanger the fighter jets.
Türkiye has repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two systems and proposed a commission to study the issue. Ankara also says it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension violated the rules, maintaining that the jets would strengthen not only Türkiye, but also NATO.
