The US will only allow Türkiye to return to the F-35 fighter jet program if it agrees to ditch Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has said. The American official also suggested that Washington may even lift sanctions on its NATO ally if Ankara is more amenable.
Speaking with CNNTurk television on Monday, Nuland said Ankara could be brought in from the cold on the F-35 project if it resolved the spat, after Türkiye was booted from the program in 2019 over its acquisition of the S-400 from Russia.