Erdogan counts on Trump over F-35 fighter jets

Turkey’s acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets and its return to the production program are necessary to improve ties with Washington and strengthen NATO’s defenses, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Bloomberg.

According to Erdogan, Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States creates an opportunity to put Turkish-U.S. relations on a more reasonable and constructive footing.

“Turkey receiving the F-35 aircraft it has already paid for and being reinstated in the program are important and necessary for strengthening ties with the United States and NATO’s defense,” Erdogan said.

He added that he personally raised the issue with Trump during their meeting at the White House in September, calling Washington’s decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 program over the purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense systems unfair.