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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday he is open to the idea of delivering F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye after a New York Times report indicated President Donald Trump is considering such a move.
Speaking to Türkiye Today during the NATO summit in Ankara, Graham acknowledged that the proposal could face resistance on Capitol Hill. "There might be some pushback in Congress. Türkiye's relations with Israel are not very helpful in Congress," Graham noted.
Despite the challenges, Graham said he believes a solution could be found to allow the delivery of F-35s to Türkiye. He also described Türkiye as "a great ally and the only Muslim nation in NATO."
Graham's remarks came after The New York Times reported that Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in Ankara ahead of the NATO summit that he is prepared to restore Türkiye's access to the F-35 fighter jet program.
Citing four senior administration officials, the newspaper reported that the proposal follows weeks of behind-the-scenes efforts by national security officials to break the impasse.
According to the report, Trump is expected to signal his intention to move ahead with providing the fighter jets to Türkiye, although it remains unclear when such a step could be taken.
The report noted that significant legal and congressional hurdles remain. Congress has previously restricted F-35 sales to Türkiye unless the administration determines that Ankara no longer possesses the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
Last month, Trump said he was likely to take a step that would make Erdogan "very happy" when asked about Türkiye's request for F-35 fighter jets and jet engines.
The United States removed Türkiye from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, arguing that it could compromise the security of the stealth aircraft and is incompatible with NATO systems.
Türkiye has consistently rejected that argument, insisting there is no conflict between operating the S-400 and the F-35. Ankara has proposed forming a joint commission to examine the issue and maintains that it fulfilled all of its obligations under the program.
Turkish officials also argue that bringing Türkiye back into the F-35 program would strengthen both the country's defense capabilities and NATO's collective security.
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