U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Ankara today aboard Air Force One for the 36th NATO Summit, becoming the first sitting American president to visit Turkey since Barack Obama in 2015, and arriving with what sources described as a significant gift bag for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan centred on a potential reversal of the six-year ban on F-35 fighter jet sales to Ankara.
Erdogan personally greeted Trump on the tarmac at Etimesgut Air Base before the two leaders headed to the Presidential Complex for a bilateral meeting and joint news conference. Trump told reporters before departure he would not have attended for most leaders but came out of respect for Erdogan, describing him as a strong NATO member and a friend.
Four senior US administration officials told the New York Times that Trump is expected to signal his willingness to restore Turkey’s access to the F-35 programme, banned in 2019 after Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 air defence system. The State Department separately notified Congress of a $700 million F-110 engine deal for Turkey’s domestically built KAAN fighter. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly objected, saying the move would upset the balance of power in the Middle East, while Turkey dismissed his comments as disinformation.
The summit runs through July 8 at the Bestepe Presidential Compound, with defence spending, Ukraine support, Hormuz security and NATO 3.0 burden-sharing on the agenda. Trump is also scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines.
