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The Trump administration is "seeking solutions" to all pending issues with Türkiye, including the S-400 and F-35 disputes, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said in an exclusive statement provided to Türkiye Today.
"President Trump recognizes the strategic importance of Türkiye and his administration is seeking solutions to all of these pending issues," the spokesperson said.
"Türkiye is a valued NATO Ally, and we continue to engage on all aspects of our important and multi-faceted relationship," the spokesperson added.
When asked about potential changes to Türkiye's status in the F-35 program, the U.S. position on Ankara's S-400 ownership, and whether returning the system to Russia would open the door to F-35 re-entry, the State Department declined to provide specifics.
"The details of our legal restrictions are available publicly. We have nothing new to report on this issue," the spokesperson said.
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler recently said at an annual evaluation meeting with media representatives in Ankara on Dec. 20 that U.S. President Trump has initiated efforts to bring the removal of CAATSA sanctions to the Senate, and that U.S. officials are also working on the issue.
"We do not see a problem with F-16 procurement. Our priority will of course be F-35s," Guler said.
"We know that Israel and Greece are lobbying for these aircraft not to be given to us. We are continuing our own work for the removal of CAATSA sanctions. We have separate working groups on these issues," he added.
"When the issue reaches the resolution stage, we will of course share it with you. Türkiye and the United States will solve these problems," Guler noted.
The United States suspended Türkiye from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2019 after objecting to Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Washington claimed the system would endanger the F-35 fighter jets and is incompatible with NATO systems. Several Turkish defense entities were subsequently sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
In 2017, Türkiye purchased four S-400 air defense systems from Russia for $2.5 billion.
Türkiye has maintained that the S-400 would pose no threat to NATO or its armaments because it would not be integrated into the alliance's systems. Ankara has repeatedly proposed setting up a commission to resolve the issue.
When Türkiye refused to abandon the S-400, the US removed it from the F-35 program — a move Ankara has called unlawful.
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Bloomberg reported earlier that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was considering returning the S-400 system to Russia. The State Department did not comment on whether the U.S. has been involved in such discussions or whether Washington would view this action as a positive step toward resolving the dispute.
Kremlin later denied the Bloomberg report, claiming that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue of returning S-400 air defense systems to Russia during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Ashgabat.
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