# Trump says US will lift 2020 sanctions on Turkey and signals openness to F-35 sale
*By IO Digest Desk*
U.S. President Donald Trump said on event date 2026-07-07 that Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile system, a move that would remove one of the most persistent irritants in U.S.-Turkish relations. The supplied Defense News extract also says Trump expressed willingness to consider selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, despite the legal and security barriers that had previously blocked such a step [Source 14356].
The sanctions issue has been central to the bilateral relationship for years. According to the extract, the United States imposed penalties on a major Turkish defence company in 2020 and removed Turkey from the F-35 programme, even though Ankara had been a production partner. Washington argued that operating the Russian S-400 alongside the F-35 posed a security risk to U.S.-made aircraft. That position hardened into U.S. law, with Congress prohibiting F-35 sales to Turkey for as long as Ankara retained the S-400 system [Source 14356].
Trump’s announcement therefore carries both diplomatic and practical implications. Diplomatically, it signals a willingness to reward President Tayyip Erdogan, whom the extract describes as a close ally of Trump. Practically, however, lifting sanctions is simpler than reviving fighter sales. Defense News notes that current U.S. law still does not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 if it wants to rejoin the F-35 programme, meaning any aircraft deal would require either legal change or a workaround involving the Russian system itself [Source 14356].
One possible workaround cited in the extract is transferring the S-400 to a third country, an idea that had recently gained traction according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter. But even that route is uncertain because Russian arms sales typically come with end-user obligations, and it was unclear whether Moscow would accept such a transfer. In other words, Trump’s political signal may be clear while the technical path remains contested and incomplete [Source 14356].
The setting amplified the symbolism. Trump made the comments before a meeting with Erdogan during a visit to Turkey for a NATO summit, his first presidential trip there in 11 years according to the extract. Publicly, both leaders praised each other, reinforcing the sense that defence reconciliation had become part of a larger effort to reset the tone between two NATO allies whose ties had been strained by Russia-related procurement and regional disagreements [Source 14356].
On the evidence supplied, the immediate takeaway is specific: Trump said the U.S. would lift sanctions on Turkey and spoke positively about a possible F-35 sale. What remains unsettled is how those ambitions could be reconciled with the legal ban tied to Turkey’s possession of the S-400 system. Even with that uncertainty, the announcement marks a major political shift. It suggests Washington may be prepared to move from punishment toward accommodation, provided a workable answer can be found for the Russian missiles at the centre of the dispute [Source 14356].
