The United States government has made clear to Congress that Turkey is still not eligible to purchase or receive F-35 fighter jets, stating that Ankara has failed to meet the legal requirements needed to lift the existing ban.
In a formal letter to Congress, the State Department explained that current U.S. law continues to block any transfer of the aircraft to Turkey. Two pieces of legislation — the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, and the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act — remain in effect because Turkey has not satisfied the conditions required under those laws.
According to the State Department, Turkey would need to give up its Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, commit to not acquiring similar Russian systems going forward, and complete all required certifications before any F-35 transfer could take place.
“Turkey has not yet met these conditions,” the State Department wrote in the letter.
The department also noted that any resolution to the S-400 dispute must be “transparent, lawful, and consistent with our national security interests.”
Officials said Washington plans to keep talking with Ankara about resolving the S-400 situation while also working to strengthen cooperation within NATO. The letter pointed to President Donald Trump’s recent face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.
At the NATO Summit earlier in the month, President Trump had signaled that selling the jets to Turkey was something being weighed. Seated next to Erdoğan after arriving in Ankara for the summit, Trump said: “That’s a decision we’re going to make … it’s a great plane, the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider.”
However, the State Department clarified that Trump’s remarks have not translated into a change in official policy, and that the legal restrictions remain fully in place until Turkey meets the necessary requirements.
Washington’s core concern is that Turkey having the Russian-built S-400 system poses an unacceptable security threat. U.S. officials argue that using the S-400 alongside the F-35 could allow Russia to gather intelligence on the jet’s advanced stealth technology and classified systems.
Turkey was kicked out of the multinational F-35 program back in 2019 following its acquisition of the S-400. The U.S. then imposed sanctions on Turkey in December 2020 under CAATSA.
