President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in an interview with Bloomberg, delivered clear messages regarding Türkiye’s position in the F-35 Lightning II program. Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye’s reentry into the program and the delivery of the aircraft for which payment has already been made are a strategic necessity.
The main points from President Erdoğan’s statements on the F-35 program are as follows:
“The Decision to Remove Türkiye from the Program Is Unjust”
President Erdoğan described Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 program on the grounds of its procurement of the S-400 air defense system from Russia as an “unjust” decision. He stated that he personally raised this issue during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in September 2025, noting that he conveyed Türkiye’s legitimate expectations to his counterpart.
“The Aircraft Paid For Must Be Delivered”
Recalling that Türkiye has fulfilled its financial obligations under the program, Erdoğan said, “It is important and necessary for Türkiye to take delivery of the F-35 aircraft it has already paid for and to be reincluded in the program.” He underlined that this step would strengthen not only the strategic partnership between the two countries but also NATO’s overall defense capacity.
A New Era and Strategic Partnership
Stating that the beginning of the Trump era in the United States has created a new opportunity for relations to be placed on a more reasonable and constructive footing, the President noted that overcoming the deadlock on the F-35 issue is a requirement of the spirit of alliance. He conveyed the message that Türkiye will continue to closely monitor the process.
Source: C4Defence / Bloomberg
