Turkish MFA Fidan and US Secretary Rubio met in DC to discuss Syria, CAATSA sanctions, Turkiye's return to the F-35 program, Ukraine peace initiatives.
As part of a high-level initiative to reset and realign Türkiye-U.S. ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., on 25 March 2025. According to information leaked from the Turkish side prior to the meeting, regional security, strategic defence cooperation, and continuing CAATSA under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) were topics of the meeting.
One of Turkiye's main topics must be on the discussion table: the removal of CAATSA due to the acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defence system and the country's return to the F-35 fighter jet development. Turkiye had been removed from the international program, and its six F-35A planes were never delivered. Ankara believes the sanctions are politically driven and has asked for programme re-entry.
Though Secretary Rubio emphasised the need of continuous cooperation in maintaining a coherent and stable Syria—one free from international terrorism and Iranian destabilisation—and praised Turkiye's involvement in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the US State Department's statement omitted CAATSA. He also enquired about Turkiye's active involvement in peace talks regarding the South Caucasus and Ukraine.
The discussion also covered bilateral business links; Secretary Rubio pushed for more commerce between the two nations. This trip comes after Turkiye's increased drive to re-engage with significant U.S.-led defence projects.
