F-35 fighter jet sale
NATO unveils billions of dollars in arms deals in Turkiye ahead of Trump summit and defence spending talks
washington
United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would lift sanctions on Turkiye and decide on a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara as he began talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkiye in 2020 after Ankara acquired Russian S-400 air defence systems. The US also removed Turkiye from the F-35 fighter jet programme, a move Ankara called unjust and illegal.
Trump was expected to support the possible sale of F-35 jets during his visit to Ankara, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, although legal and congressional hurdles remain unresolved.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said, adding that he and Erdogan would also discuss trade.
NATO unveils billions in arms deals
Meanwhile, NATO leaders began unveiling arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Turkiye, signalling that they are responding to US calls for greater defence spending ahead of a summit with President Donald Trump.
At a defence industry forum in Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a series of initiatives, with the combined value of deals displayed on a large screen.
Rutte called for a “revolution” in the alliance’s defence industry, warning of growing military spending by Russia, as well as challenges from China, North Korea and Iran.
“We don’t have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it,” Rutte said. “The hum of machinery must become a roar.”
The announcements were aimed at encouraging Western defence companies to increase production capacity and governments to commit to long-term orders.
European defence industries have faced criticism for fragmentation, bureaucracy and competition between companies and countries, leaving the region heavily dependent on US weapons supplies.
Weak economic growth and the need to preserve welfare spending have also made higher defence budgets politically difficult.
The deals, which had been mostly kept under wraps to make a splash at the summit, included European countries buying surveillance drones from US company Northrop Grumman, and NATO buying planes from Sweden’s Saab.
Saab shares were the biggest gainers in Europe, up more than 5% as investors bet on the company benefitting from European rearmament. Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock.
US defence company Lockheed Martin and Germany’s Rheinmetall signed a draft deal to jointly produce ATACMS missiles in Germany, a move that would mark the first non-US manufacture of the short-range ballistic missile.
Rutte said NATO allies will invest more than $40 billion in the next five years in their anti-drone capabilities.
The announcements follow Trump’s repeated criticism that European allies are not spending enough on defence and rely too heavily on Washington for NATO security guarantees.
