WASHINGTON, JUL 7: US President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions off Turkey and make a decision on a potential sale of F-35s to Ankara as he began a meeting on Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a NATO summit.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about the measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
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In 2020, Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems. It also removed Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move Turkey called unjust and illegal.
Trump was expected to throw his support behind the potential sale of F-35s during the visit to Ankara, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, even as legal and congressional hurdles have yet to be fully resolved.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said. He said he and Erdogan would also discuss trade.
