President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (C-R) and U.S. President Donald Trump (C-L) hold a meeting at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 7 that Washington will lift sanctions on Türkiye, marking a potential breakthrough in defense ties between the NATO allies as he met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of a key alliance summit in Ankara.
Speaking alongside Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex, Trump said the United States would remove sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
The announcement came as the two leaders are holding bilateral talks before the opening of a NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
Asked about Türkiye’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet program, Trump indicated a decision was forthcoming.
“We will make a decision on the F-35 issue. Our relationship is very good right now,” he said.
Erdoğan welcomed Trump’s remarks, saying the F-35 issue had long been under discussion between Ankara and Washington.
“I believe this leaders’ summit will produce a favorable decision on the F-35 issue,” Erdoğan said, adding that Trump had previously promised five F-35 fighter jets and had always kept his word.
The Turkish president also said he expected Trump to reiterate what he described as “good news” regarding U.S. support for engines for Türkiye’s indigenous Kaan fighter jet.
The two leaders frequently referred to each other as “my friend.” They first met at Ankara Airport before traveling to the Beştepe complex. Trump was welcomed with a ceremonial honor guard that included soldiers dressed in costumes representing historical Turkish states, from the Seljuk Empire to the Ottoman Empire.
The visit marks Trump’s first trip to Türkiye across his two presidential terms and the first by a sitting U.S. president since the end of the Joe Biden administration.
Before the meeting, both leaders emphasized the strength of bilateral ties.
“We feel stronger now having my precious friend here in Ankara,” Erdoğan said.
Trump responded by calling Erdoğan “a respected leader.”
“We are very good friends,” Trump said. “We are going to talk about trade, military, Iran.”
Trump also voiced frustration with NATO burden-sharing before the summit.
“I was very disappointed with NATO. I am not sure they would be there for us. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they are not there for us?” he said.
Erdoğan visited the White House last year, and the two leaders have remained in regular contact during major international crises, including the recent U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Trump has longstanding business ties to Türkiye, having attended the opening of the Trump Towers complex in Istanbul in 2012 alongside Erdoğan, who was then prime minister.
