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The Trump administration is pushing ahead with a sale of dozens of General Electric jet engines to Türkiye valued at more than $700 million, overriding objections from at least one senior member of Congress in what analysts are likely to view as a significant diplomatic gesture to Ankara ahead of a NATO summit next month, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The engines will power the Kaan, Türkiye's first domestically developed combat aircraft, a flagship defense program launched in 2016 that reflects Ankara's broader drive toward military self-sufficiency within the NATO alliance.
Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised objections during the informal review period and has not signed off on the package, according to two sources, including a U.S. official.
Despite that opposition, the sale is expected to be finalized within days, after which the State Department will formally notify Congress. The State Department declined to comment.
The move comes nearly a year after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan publicly complained about delays in the approval process. The decision to proceed clears a transaction that had been stalled in the congressional review pipeline, a step that precedes formal notification under U.S. arms export rules.
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U.S.-Türkiye ties have generally been warm under President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised President Tayyip Erdogan.
But the relationship carries unresolved tension rooted in Washington's decision to expel Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program after Ankara purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which the United States considers a threat to alliance security.
That dispute triggered U.S. sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and has shaped the bilateral defense relationship ever since.
The engine sale could serve as a partial reset, giving Türkiye a path to advancing the Kaan program, which has faced delays partly due to uncertainty over propulsion. GE's engines are considered critical to bringing the aircraft to operational status.
Türkiye is set to host NATO leaders on July 7 and 8, with the summit taking place against a backdrop of intra-alliance friction over defense spending, burden-sharing, and U.S. pressure on allies to contribute to efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open during the ongoing U.S.-Iran war.
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