US opens F-35 window to Ankara
Washington proposes Turkey’s conditional return to fighter jet co-production program
Washington has reopened the window for Ankara’s return to the F-35 co-production program, on the well-known condition that it removes its Russian S-400 missile defense system from Turkey. Similar discussions had taken place in the past, even with proposed alternatives for relocating the S-400s even to neighboring Azerbaijan, but to no avail.
This time the proposal came from Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in an interview with CNN Turk.
After recalling that Turkey chose the S-400 while it was in negotiations with the US over the US Patriot missile system, Nuland stressed that “if we could get through this S-400 issue, which we would like to do, the US would be delighted to welcome Turkiye back into the F-35 family.”
Nuland suggested that Turkey should start discussions on the country’s air defense, stating that the US has been offering to talk about strengthening air defense for many years, both before and after the purchase of the S-400. “If we can overcome this issue, the CAATSA issue will disappear, and we can return to F-35 conversations,” she said.
The interview, which followed her talks in Ankara under the Strategic Mechanism between the two countries and her meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, was seen to indicate the positive climate that is beginning to emerge in relations.
Political analysts believe that Washington’s goal is to bring Turkey back into the Western fold and to pressure Ankara to distance itself from Russia. The lifting of Ankara’s objections to Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership was the clear step the US wanted to see which paved the way to allow Turkey’s acquisition of the F-16 fighter jets and the weapons systems that will accompany them. Now the US government seems to be proposing that Turkey return to the F-35 and possibly Patriot anti-aircraft systems if Ankara stops its military cooperation with Moscow.
No one in Ankara believes that these steps can be taken quickly and neither can Turkey immediately announce that it is not using the S-400 as it wants to maintain a balance with Vladimir Putin.
Analysts predict that when the first modernized F-16 deliveries take place, new discussions will likely commence. They do not completely rule out the prospect that Ankara may eventually announce the sale of its Russian anti-aircraft systems to a foreign nation, but only after securing an F-35 and Patriot supply agreement.
