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The Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet engines worth more than $700 million to Türkiye, according to a copy of the notification seen by Reuters.
"The U.S. government is prepared to license the export of these items, having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations," the State Department said in its notification to Congress, dated June 24 and sent late Wednesday.
The sale is widely seen as a gesture to Ankara ahead of the pivotal NATO summit there next month and to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump considers a key ally.
Congress has 15 days to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval to block the sale, which would need to pass both chambers and could be vetoed by Trump.
The engines, produced by General Electric (GE), will power Türkiye's first indigenous combat jet, Kaan, a project launched in 2016 as part of Türkiye's effort to become more self-sufficient in defense following past friction with Western partners and arms embargoes.
Turkish officials acknowledge it will take years before Kaan replaces the American-made F-16s that form the backbone of the country's air force.
Türkiye's 2019 acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system soured its relations with Washington and dampened congressional support for Ankara.
The U.S. responded by imposing sanctions and removing Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Congress also passed a law prohibiting any F-35 sales to Türkiye as long as it retains the S-400s, citing security risks the Russian systems could pose to American-made combat aircraft.
The issue has remained a major flashpoint between the two countries even as ties have warmed under Trump.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a prominent critic of the sale, had raised objections during an informal review process with the administration and had not given his approval for the package, according to two sources, including a U.S. official, who spoke to Reuters.
"These items will not be delivered for years, and the administration repeatedly ignored persistent requests for information and clarification on key aspects of U.S. policy," Meeks said in a statement, criticizing what he described as the administration's failure to make a "good-faith" effort to brief him on the sale's implications for bilateral ties and Türkiye's possession of the S-400 systems.
In a statement published on the House Foreign Affairs Committee's website, Meeks said: "Late yesterday, the administration informed me that it would once again bypass congressional review in supplying more than $700 million in defense equipment to the Turkish military."
A Trump administration official, speaking to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) on condition of anonymity, pushed back on claims that Congress had been bypassed.
"The administration is always in a maximally transparent relationship with Congress," the official said.
"In addition to regular communication with Congress, Ambassador (Tom) Barrack, War Department officials and State Department officials also personally briefed Congress on this matter," the official added.
Several Democratic lawmakers said they opposed the engine sale and cautioned the administration against selling F-35s to Ankara.
"We cannot reward Erdogan's government while it continues to violate U.S. law and threaten our reliable, democratic allies," Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire wrote on social media. "Absolutely no F-35s to Türkiye."
Rep. Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat, said she would act if Trump proceeds. "If POTUS continues down this path, I will introduce a joint resolution of disapproval," she wrote on social media, referring to the jet engine sale.
Speaking during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump was asked whether he was traveling to Türkiye "with a big gift bag" regarding the jet engines and F-35 program.
"Look, he's a member of NATO. Some people don't consider himself (a NATO member), but he really is. He's a strong member of NATO," Trump said.
"Yeah, I'm going to probably do something that's going to make him very happy," Trump added.
Rutte noted that Türkiye has a "huge" defense industrial base.
Trump responded: "People don't know how big Türkiye is in terms of the military. It's very strong. They have a lot of our equipment, a very strong military, because of him."
Trump also said his decision to attend the Ankara summit was tied directly to Erdogan personally. "If the summit was not taking place in Türkiye and being hosted by Erdogan, I don't think I would have gone to it," he said, adding that he was going "out of respect to President Erdogan."
Asked what would need to happen for an F-35 deal to be finalized, Trump deferred to Vice President JD Vance, who said officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were actively reviewing the matter.
"There are certain things that we have to certify have happened, that have happened in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that. We're running the traps and confirming that's happened," Vance said.
"This is really a congressional thing, and ensuring that Türkiye has complied with American law so they can get the F-35s. We will announce that when the review is complete," he noted.
Türkiye has repeatedly said there is no conflict between operating the S-400 and the F-35 and has proposed forming a commission to study the issue, maintaining that it fulfilled its obligations under the F-35 program and that its suspension violated program rules.
Ankara has argued the jets would strengthen not only Türkiye but NATO as a whole.
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