Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a joint press conference during the NATO Summit, Trump said the United States was preparing to remove the sanctions that had been imposed on Türkiye at the end of 2020.
Trump praised Erdoğan s leadership, saying Türkiye had become “very strong militarily” under his presidency. He also repeated his criticism of NATO, suggesting that he might not have attended the summit had it not been held in Türkiye.
Erdoğan welcomes the move
President Erdoğan welcomed the announcement and said he hoped a positive decision on F-35 Lightning II fighter jets would follow after the summit.
He said his meeting with Trump had given bilateral relations “a new positive direction” and added that Türkiye would continue efforts to strengthen relations between Iran and the United States while contributing to global peace.
According to Erdoğan, discussions with Trump would also cover the situations in Russia, Ukraine, and Gaza.
What are the CAATSA sanctions?
CAATSA stands for the Countering America s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a U.S. law designed to impose sanctions on countries and entities engaged in significant transactions with America s adversaries, including Russia.
The sanctions were imposed on Türkiye in 2020 after Ankara purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
Washington argued that acquiring the S-400 could threaten NATO s defense architecture and compromise the security of the F-35 Lightning II program.
What penalties did Türkiye face?
Under the CAATSA measures, the United States Imposed sanctions on Türkiye s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB). Restricted U.S. export licenses related to defense technology. Placed financial and travel sanctions on certain Turkish officials. Removed Türkiye from the F-35 Lightning II program.
Trump on selling F-35s to Turkey: "It s a decision we are going to make... Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal — so, yeah, it s something certainly we would consider."
— ZIONS OF ISRAEL (@Israeli_Sniper) July 7, 2026
This would be very bad. pic.twitter.com/bk79mDYDmH
What happens next?
Analysts say that if the sanctions are fully lifted, the move could open the door to renewed defense cooperation between the United States and Türkiye.
Potential areas of progress include; Expanded military cooperation. Increased arms trade between the two countries. New negotiations regarding Türkiye s role in the F-35 fighter jet program.
The announcement is being seen as one of the most significant attempts in recent years to repair strained ties between the two NATO allies.
