July 7 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is prepared to allow the country to rejoin the F-35 stealth fighter program, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing four senior administration officials.
The report comes as Trump heads to Ankara for a NATO summit, where he is expected to meet Erdogan. The summit is set to begin on Tuesday evening.
According to the New York Times report, the officials differed on the details of how Trump would seek to work around congressional and legal restrictions, but suggested there could be an exchange of letters on the subject between the two leaders.
The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the report.
Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system has soured ties with the United States and hampered congressional support for Ankara. In response, Washington imposed sanctions and removed Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Congress also passed a law prohibiting any sales of F-35s to Turkey as long as Ankara remained in possession of the S-400s, saying the Russian system poses a security risk to U.S.-made combat aircraft.
The issue has remained a major point of contention between the two countries even though Turkey enjoys warmer ties with Washington under Trump.
The reported development is a sign of improving ties between the two countries, especially after Trump’s administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet engines worth more than $700 million to Turkey last month, according to a copy of the formal notification seen by Reuters.
Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry.
