Turkey-US defense row may be resolved by end of year, says US ambassador

29.06.2025

By Turkish Minute

Source:https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/06/29/turkey-us-defense-row-may-be-resolved-by-end-of-year-says-us-ambassador/

The longstanding dispute between Turkey and the United States over Ankara’s purchase of a Russian air defense system may be resolved by the end of the year, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said on Sunday.

In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, Barrack said US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are expected to instruct their top diplomats to work on a solution, expressing confidence that Congress would support a “smart resolution.”

“My belief is that by the year end, we have the possibility of having a solution, my belief is they’re going to solve the problem,” Barrack said.

The row began in 2020 when Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile system, invoking the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). As part of the sanctions, Turkey was also removed from the F-35 joint strike fighter program, with US officials arguing that the presence of the Russian system could compromise the security of the stealth aircraft.

“All these things that have been discussed for five years, F-35s, F-16s, S-400s, sanctions, tariffs… Enough,” Barrack said. “We have to put that aside, and Congress is willing to take a fresh look at it.”

The Turkish government has repeatedly called for the lifting of the sanctions. In March Erdoğan urged Trump to finalize a deal allowing Turkey to purchase F-16 fighter jets and to be readmitted to the F-35 program. He later said the sanctions had already been eased under Trump’s leadership.

On Tuesday Erdoğan met Trump on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague and reiterated Turkey’s interest in expanding defense cooperation with the US, saying it could significantly boost bilateral trade.

“Advancing cooperation in the defense industry would facilitate achieving the goal of a $100 billion trade volume,” Erdoğan said.

Turkey, which is seeking to modernize its aging air force, has also expressed interest in purchasing 40 Eurofighter Typhoons from a consortium consisting of Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.

© Agence France-Presse