Turkey presses Washington to drop CAATSA sanctions amid ongoing F-35 talks

Turkey’s defence ministry appealed to Washington on Thursday to eliminate the sanctions and licensing restrictions placed on its defence industry under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, labeling the measures as incompatible with NATO alliance values. The ministry confirmed that talks with U.S. officials about the six F-35 fighter jets intended for Turkey are still underway, though no specific delivery date or sanction-lifting agreement was announced.

The dispute dates back to 2019 when the United States expelled Turkey from the F-35 program after Ankara acquired Russia’s S-400 air-defence system, citing security concerns over stealth technology exposure. President Donald Trump pledged at the July NATO summit in Ankara to lift the sanctions and consider allowing Turkey to purchase the jets, but as of early October no concrete decision has been made. Turkey had contributed roughly $1.4 billion to the programme and participated in component manufacturing before its removal. Restoring access to the aircraft also requires meeting U.S. legal conditions tied to the S-400, which the State Department says have not yet been satisfied.