Politics
Rubio says US law blocks Turkey’s return to F-35 program
The comments, made during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, appear to place a legal limit on the Trump administration’s recent efforts to explore a possible resolution with Ankara.
They also pushed back against the more optimistic tone taken by Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Türkiye, who suggested the dispute could soon be resolved.
Representative Dina Titus, Democrat of Nevada, pressed Mr. Rubio on Mr. Barrack’s remarks, saying they were “inconsistent with long-standing law and policy.”
“Tom Barrack said Turkey should join the F-35 program,” Ms. Titus said. “These comments are inconsistent with long-standing law and policy, and I’m just wondering what your position is as Secretary of State. Can Turkey get F-35s or not? It seems like we’re helping the bad guys and not the good guys.”
“Well, as I’m sure you know, Turkey was indeed part of the F-35 program,” Mr. Rubio responded. “The reason they can’t get them is because they bought the S-400 system from the Russians.”
Titus noted that Turkey still has the system and remains subject to mandatory sanctions.
“That’s correct,” Mr. Rubio said. “So, as you know, it’s governed by law.”
“Well, right now we don’t have that choice because it’s governed by the law, both the provisions of the NDAA and the law,” he added.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after receiving delivery of the S-400, a Russian air defense system that Washington said could expose sensitive information about the stealth fighter to Russian intelligence.
The United States then imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defense procurement agency under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, making Turkey the first NATO ally to face such sanctions for a major purchase of Russian weapons.
The issue remains one of the most serious disputes between Washington and Ankara, even as President Trump seeks to improve ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey argued that its exclusion from the program was unfair and sought either reinstatement or compensation for its previous investment in the aircraft.
Mr. Barrack, a close ally of Mr. Trump, recently suggested that the S-400 dispute could be resolved and that Turkey’s return to the F-35 program was possible if the issue was resolved. His comments raised expectations in Ankara but concerns on Capitol Hill, where opposition to any transfer of F-35s to Turkey remains strong.
Mr. Rubio’s response seems to draw a sharper line. The administration could continue negotiations with Turkey, but unless Ankara resolves the S-400 issue in a manner consistent with U.S. law, the F-35 door remains closed.
The exchange also highlighted a recurring tension in U.S. policy toward Turkey. Mr. Trump’s preference for direct diplomacy with Mr. Erdogan clashes with congressional restrictions imposed after Ankara’s takeover of the Russian system.
For Turkey, joining the F-35 program would be a major strategic and symbolic victory. For Washington, the question remains whether Ankara is ready to abandon the Russian system that caused the rupture.
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