Rubio outlines condition for F-35 deliveries to Türkiye

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump supports delivering to Türkiye the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets for which Ankara has paid. Rubio made the remarks in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, while commenting on Türkiye’s efforts to obtain the aircraft.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the U.S. diplomat recalled that U.S. law does not permit the aircraft to be transferred until the issue of Türkiye’s Russian-made S-400 air defense systems is fully resolved.

Rubio said Ankara was aware of the legal restrictions and was exploring various ways to address the problem. However, the secretary of state stressed that the issue had not yet been resolved and that the ban on transferring the aircraft to Türkiye remained in force.

Earlier reports said President Donald Trump might express readiness to lift restrictions on F-35 sales during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has opposed transferring F-35 fighters to the Turkish Armed Forces, arguing that it could disrupt the strategic balance of power in the Middle East. At the end of last year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied reports that Ankara intended to return its S-400 systems to Russia.