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Türkiye is holding intensive talks with the United States on the first six F-35 fighter jets it paid for and expects a result, Deputy Defense Minister Alpaslan Kavaklioglu said, adding that he hopes U.S. CAATSA sanctions on Ankara will be lifted "very soon."
"F-35s are also on our agenda," Kavaklioglu told CNN Turk's Washington correspondent Yunus Paksoy.
"I believe we will reach a result there as well. We have intensive contacts, especially regarding the first six aircraft," he added.
The six F-35As have been held in the United States since Washington removed Türkiye from the program in 2019 over its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system, and their release would mark a major thaw in Turkish-U.S. defense ties.
Kavaklioglu said Defense Minister Yasar Guler had also discussed the issue with U.S. counterparts. "Absolutely. F-35s are also on our agenda," he said when asked whether the jets were tied to the CAATSA dispute.
The first six aircraft, assigned tail numbers, were kept in the United States to train Turkish pilots. The first jet for Türkiye was delivered in 2018, and Turkish pilots flew two delivered aircraft. Türkiye joined the program in 2002, planned to buy 100 jets in total and has paid $1.4 billion.
The six F-35As remain sealed at a U.S. facility under anti-corrosion maintenance, with the S-400 issue the main hurdle to their return.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Trump wants the jets delivered but that the issue revolves around the S-400s.
"There are some issues ongoing from the past, such as CAATSA. There is intensive work on them. They are being discussed mutually. There is progress," Kavaklioglu said, adding, "I believe we will resolve our existing problems in a short time."
"Currently, the talks between our President and Trump, their relationship, is at an excellent level. We draw motivation from this, in fact," he said.
"The talks are progressing very positively, but there are some actions both sides will take. Work is being done on them mutually, continuously. And I hope, I expect, it will be concluded very soon," the Turkish official added.
Paksoy said Trump told him about 10 days earlier, when asked about CAATSA, that he would "always make Erdogan happy."
Kavaklioglu, in Washington for a defense exhibition, said he met U.S. defense companies, Pentagon officials and decision-makers.
"The talks took place in a more positive atmosphere than I expected. There are good relations right now. They are developing. We have surprisingly good relations," he said.
"Since we joined NATO in 1952, Türkiye and the United States have had great cooperation and solidarity in both political and military fields. But at times we experienced crises and interruptions. However, in this recent period, there are relations that we can call excellent," he said.
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"The state Türkiye has reached in the defense industry, the development, is very impressive. They also accept it. They are even amazed in many areas," Kavaklioglu said, adding that the sides discussed co-production and joint investment, including for allies.
"Any appointment we want, for them as well as for us, can be easily obtained. Every issue can be raised, discussed and conveyed to our counterparts," he said.
"The most important thing here is to meet and make progress. That’s what we are doing right now," he said, as Ankara continues to press for its paid F-35s.
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