Erdogan Says Turkey Was Promised Five F-35s as Trump Weighs Sale

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at the Ankara NATO summit that the F-35 issue was not new and Turkey had been promised five stealth fighters, adding that he expected a positive direction during the leaders' summit. Trump, asked whether Washington would sell advanced F-35s to Turkey, said Turkey was loyal to the United States and that a decision would have to be made. Reporting on the track says Ankara's Russian S-400 system remains the central legal and security obstacle even as Trump signals support for restoring access. Netanyahu has warned that giving F-35s or fighter engines to Erdogan would upset the Middle East balance and threaten Israel's qualitative military edge.