US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would remove sanctions imposed on Türkiye under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), signalling a potential shift in relations between Washington and Ankara during talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off… We don’t want to sanction friends,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Erdogan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Trump said, “I have good chemistry with Erdogan because of the relationship we share.” “I have a lot of respect for the President. We will be discussing trade, the military, and Iran. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. We have a lot of trade with Türkiye, so there are many important issues to discuss,” he said
Trump said he was coordinating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to finalize the decision.
The US president also said he would consider allowing Türkiye to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet programme, despite restrictions linked to Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system.
“We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” Trump said.
Calling the F-35 “the best plane by far,” Trump said the possible sale of the advanced fighter aircraft to Türkiye was “certainly something we will consider.”
Trump said he is disappointed with countries as US spent billions of dollars to protect other countries. When asked about the negotiations between Iran and Iran, Trump said, “
Türkiye was removed from the F-35 programme after it acquired the Russian S-400 air defence system, with Washington citing security concerns over the compatibility of the Russian system with NATO defence networks.
US officials have indicated that Trump could signal a willingness to reverse the previous restrictions on F-35 sales, although the legal path to bypass existing congressional limits remains unclear.
The meeting between Trump and Erdogan took place during the US president’s official visit to Türkiye ahead of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Erdogan said Tuesday that he believes the NATO summit taking place in the capital Ankara could produce a “favorable decision” on Türkiye’s long-running bid to acquire F-35 fighter jets from the US.
At a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the summit sidelines, Erdogan said the jets issue was not “a new subject” in bilateral ties and had been discussed extensively with Washington.
“The F-35 issue is not a new one for us. We have discussed it with the US before, and we received a commitment regarding the five aircraft,” he said.
“God willing, I believe a favorable decision on the F-35 issue will emerge from this Leaders Summit,” he added.
Erdogan also expressed confidence that earlier commitments made by the US would be honored, praising Trump’s approach on the issue.
Trump renewed his call for Greenland to come under American control, saying the strategic Arctic territory should be controlled by the United States rather than Denmark.
“It should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump told reporters, while criticising European opposition to the idea. He also questioned the need for continued US military spending in Europe, saying the continent had changed significantly over the past two decades.
“We spend a lot of money to help them with Russia, and we don’t have to spend any money. We could remove all of our soldiers from Europe because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, citing its strategic importance. Denmark has consistently rejected the idea, saying Greenland is not for sale and that its future belongs to its people.
The United States has previously explored the possibility of purchasing Greenland. In 1867, officials considered acquiring the territory, and in 1946, President Harry S. Truman proposed buying it from Denmark for $100 million. The offer was rejected by Copenhagen.
