U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is prepared to restore the country to a program that would allow it to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, The New York Times reported.
Trump, who is heading to a NATO summit in Ankara this week, could face opposition in Congress, which could seek to block it.
It is unclear exactly what Trump will say, and officials cautioned that he could change his mind. But administration officials suggested there could be an exchange of letters on the subject between the two leaders to get the process underway.
Trump will arrive in Ankara on Tuesday, where plans to meet Erdogan just after he arrives from Washington on Tuesday. He is then expected to attend a dinner with other NATO leaders.
In 2019, during Trump’s first term, Turkey was thrown out of the F-35 program because it bought advanced S-400 antiaircraft systems from Russia. Congress passed a law prohibiting any F-35 sales to Turkey as long as Ankara retained the S-400s. Currently, the U.S. law does not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program.
