US President Donald Trump stated that the future of F-35, F-16 CAATSA will be discussed during the meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who travelled to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, later went on to Washington, D.C., where he met U.S. President Donald Trump. Before their two-hour meeting, the two leaders appeared before the cameras.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Donald Trump answered questions from the press prior to their meeting. In the press conference livestreamed by Anadolu Agency News, Trump stated that the future of Turkiye in the F-35 programme, F-16 acquisition, and the potential lifting of CAATSA sanctions will be discussed.
In response to a question regarding the sale of F-35 to Turkiye, Trump answered:
“We will discuss Patriot, and again we will discuss the F-35. I think we will be successful. I think Mr President can acquire what he is looking for. F-16s are also included. We both need something, and we will have a result to be announced at the end of the day.“
While the return of Turkiye to F-35 and the sale of F-16 Block 70 are no surprise, the same can not be said for MIM-104 Patriot air defence systems being brought up again. It is unclear if Turkiye is interested in acquiring Patriot. Considering the fact that SİPER to defend against airbreathing targets is being delivered in Product 1 configuration it is likely that the PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE missiles with anti-ballistic missile capabilities would be on the table if there is an interest from the Turkish side.
On the lift of CAATSA sanctions on Turkiye that include the removal of Turkiye from the F-35 programme and certain restrictions on key figures from the Turkish defence industry, Trump commented: “Could be very soon, if we have a good meeting, almost immediately.”.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
