Turkey Pins Hopes on Trump to Solve S-400 Spat and Buy F-35s
(Bloomberg) -- After waiting years for action from President Joe Biden, Turkey is pinning its hopes on President-elect Donald Trump to free it from sanctions over its use of a Russian air defense system.
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The president could ask Congress to waive legislation that effectively cut off Turkey’s top defense procurement agency from US financial institutions, military hardware and technology. That would allow Turkey to buy fifth-generation F-35 jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp., ensure its military can operate in sync with other members of the NATO alliance and bolster deterrence in its southeastern flank.
As Trump prepares to take office in January, Turkey is communicating to people close to him that it might agree to restricted use of the Russian S-400 missiles without jettisoning them, according to people familiar with the proposal who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the information.
Shortly after congratulating Trump on his election victory in a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the US to lift sanctions, known as CAATSA, that targeted the nation’s defense industry and removed it from the F-35 development program.
Trump’s transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the Turkish request.
Resolving the spat over the Russian S-400 missiles, which Turkey has test-fired, could lead to an unprecedented increase in defense-industry cooperation between the longtime allies, Turkish and US officials have said privately.
The US has said it may discuss Turkey’s return to the F-35 “family” if the feud over Ankara’s acquisition of the advanced Russian system is resolved. Turkey’s defense and foreign ministries didn’t respond to requests for comment over the country’s latest attempt to seek a waiver from the sanctions.
Ankara was an original F-35 partner, and its plan to buy about 100 jets made it one of the four top foreign customers for the stealth fighter. Turkey has sought reimbursement of $1.4 billion it previously put into the initiative. Six F-35A aircraft that were reserved for Turkey are kept in storage in the US.
Improved Relations
Strained ties with the US started to improve early this year when Turkey ratified Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a move the US and European nations advanced in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Turkey has since signed a deal to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets from the US but is negotiating to pare back its original plan to buy upgrade kits for its existing fleet as well as munitions amid spending cuts at home, the people said. Ankara has also asked for US permission to obtain and assemble GE Aerospace F110 engines, used in F-16s, to power its twin-engine Kaan warplane and F404 engines for Hurjet training aircraft.
Earlier: Turkey to Pare Back $23 Billion Deal for F-16 Jets With US
Turkey has provided military supplies to Ukraine including armed drones and critical shells as a Turkish firm agreed to jointly produce the NATO-standard 155mm caliber ammunition in the US.
Kurdish Forces
Another bone of contention is the US arming and training of Kurdish forces in Syria. Turkey regards them as terrorists and a threat to its unity because they are affiliated with the separatist Kurdish group the PKK, which is waging a war for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week that the main problem with Washington was about Turkey’s security concerns and namely, US support to the Kurdish forces.
In an attempt to resolve that issue, Turkey has proposed to Washington that its army, the second-largest in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after the US, could take over the fight against Islamic State in Syria if the US pulls out its troops and ceases military support to the Kurdish forces, according to the people familiar with the discussions. They added that Turkey was also prepared to take over the responsibility for tens of thousands of Islamic State jihadists and their relatives detained by Kurdish forces.
Washington hasn’t yet responded to the Turkish proposal, Turkish and US officials have said, although Trump proposed removing the US forces in Syria during his previous term as president.
“Trump may focus on this issue strongly during this period and may withdraw American soldiers from Syria and the region,” Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Turkey’s TV100 in an interview last week. “Because the US has bigger issues.”
--With assistance from Firat Kozok.
(Updates with Turkish foreign minister’s comments in 13th paragraph.)
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