President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will lift sanctions imposed on Turkey [1].
The move signals a significant shift in diplomatic relations between the two NATO allies. By removing these restrictions, the U.S. opens the door for Turkey to resume the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, a deal that had been stalled for years.
Trump made the announcement July 7, 2026, while in Ankara, Turkey [1]. The sanctions in question were originally imposed in 2020 [1]. Those measures were a response to Turkey's decision to purchase defense missiles from Russia, which the U.S. viewed as a breach of security protocols and a threat to the integrity of the F-35 program.
During his visit, Trump praised Turkish leadership and said the administration is now open to selling the advanced stealth fighters to the Turkish military [1], [2]. The restoration of these military ties is intended to improve overall U.S.–Turkey relations, and strengthen the alliance's operational capabilities [1], [3].
While some reports describe the announcement as a definitive end to the sanctions, others suggest the move creates the necessary conditions for Ankara to potentially buy the jets [4]. Regardless of the specific legal mechanism, the shift marks a departure from the restrictive policy maintained by the U.S. since the 2020 missile purchase [1].
The F-35 program is one of the most expensive and technologically sensitive military projects in the world. Turkey's previous exclusion from the program created a gap in the NATO air defense architecture, a gap the current administration appears eager to close through renewed bilateral cooperation [1], [3].
“The United States will lift sanctions imposed on Turkey.”
This policy reversal suggests a strategic prioritization of NATO cohesion and bilateral diplomacy over the previous punitive approach to Turkey's defense acquisitions. By removing the 2020 sanctions, the U.S. is leveraging military hardware—specifically the F-35—to pull Turkey closer to the Western security orbit and reduce its reliance on Russian military technology.
