Erdogan meets Trump at White House as Turkey seeks F-35 access amid long-running ban
U.S. law blocks the transfer of F-35 jets to Ankara over Ankara’s 2019 purchase of Russia’s S-400 system; Erdogan’s visit tests the balance between alliance duties and national interests.
WASHINGTON — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travels to the White House for a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump, signaling a moment of diplomacy after years of pursuing engagement with the United States. Erdogan arrives with a shopping list, chief among it a bid to regain access to the United States F-35 stealth fighter jets. Washington has long maintained that any sale remains blocked by law.
Turkey’s decision to buy Russia’s S-400 air defense system in 2019 precipitated Erdogan’s expulsion from the F-35 program. In December 2019, Congress added Section 1245 to the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act, explicitly prohibiting the transfer of F-35 aircraft or related technology to Turkey. The provision remains in force. Erdogan has signaled that returning the S-400s might be part of a pathway back to the F-35 program, but U.S. officials have shown little appetite for such a swap.
Turkey’s posture toward Hamas and its regional ambitions have drawn widespread scrutiny. After Hamas carried out attacks on Oct 7 that killed Israelis and others, Erdogan faced criticism for what critics describe as a continued openness to Hamas figures and messaging. Turkish authorities have issued passports and provided safe havens to Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal. Erdogan’s government commemorated Haniyeh’s death with a national mourning mood in some quarters, fueling concern among Western partners about Ankara’s alignment with groups opposed to Israel and Western interests. These actions are cited by opponents as evidence of a strain in Ankara’s relationship with traditional Western allies.
The Erdogan government has also pressed a more aggressive line toward Greece, advancing a so-called Blue Homeland doctrine that envisions expanding Turkey’s maritime claims in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Turkish rhetoric has included threats directed at Athens over missiles and calls for demilitarization of Greek islands. Cyprus remains a flashpoint: Turkey still occupies a portion of the island, and Ankara has at times cautioned that its actions would have consequences for regional stability following Cyprus’s purchases of Israeli air defense systems. In Syria, Turkey has conducted multiple incursions since 2016 against the Kurdish-led SDF, a key U.S. partner in the fight against ISIS. Earlier this year Erdogan signaled the possibility of new operations against the SDF, underscoring the complexity of American interests in the region. Handing Erdogan F-35 jets would complicate alliances with partners in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East and could place U.S. personnel and local allies at greater risk.
Analysts cited by the notes accompanying this report say the United States should not reward what they view as Erdogan’s dual approach. Sinan Ciddi, director of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and William Doran, an intern there, argued that transferring F-35s to a state sponsor of terrorism would undercut international law and U.S. interests, even as it could complicate NATO cohesion and regional security. Their assessment underscores the broader challenge for Washington: how to balance strategic partnership with a partner whose actions in Gaza, the Aegean, Cyprus and Syria are at odds with American and allied security objectives. The law remains explicit, and Washington officials have said any change would require Congress to act.
As Erdogan sits across from Trump in the Oval Office, the administration faces a clear choice. The F-35 is widely viewed as a cornerstone of American military deterrence, designed to sustain an advantage over competitors in Asia and beyond. Providing the jets to a leader who has fostered ties with Russia, engaged with Hamas, and unsettled several NATO partners would represent a fundamental shift in U.S. policy toward Turkey. For now, U.S. policy remains that the F-35 sale is not on the table, with lawmakers and national-security advisers expected to scrutinize any new proposals intensely. The outcome of this meeting could signal how aggressively Washington intends to press Ankara on issues ranging from defense procurement to regional behavior, and how it will uphold the commitments that underwrite the Western alliance in a volatile geopolitical moment.