Washington, Oct. 3 (SANA) U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed his close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when asked about delays in lifting sanctions imposed on Türkiye under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump answered a question about what was holding up the removal of the sanctions after he had previously voiced support for lifting them.
“I’ll always speak to President Erdogan. He is a friend of mine, as you know. And I’ll always make him happy,” Trump said, according to Anadolu. He did not provide details on when or how the sanctions could be removed.
During a meeting with Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Türkiye in July, Trump said he wanted the CAATSA sanctions lifted and would consider allowing Ankara to purchase F-35 fighter jets, Anadolu reported.
The United States removed Türkiye from the F-35 program in 2019 following Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Washington has maintained that operating the S-400 poses risks to U.S. military technology and is incompatible with NATO systems. Türkiye has rejected those concerns and says it turned to the Russian system after efforts to acquire U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems failed to produce a deal.
In December 2020, Washington imposed sanctions under Section 231 of CAATSA on Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) over what the U.S. government described as a “significant transaction” with Russia’s main arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, for the S-400 system.
The measures included a ban on U.S. export licenses and authorizations for SSB, restrictions on financing, and sanctions against several senior officials. The dispute over the S-400, CAATSA sanctions and Türkiye’s participation in the F-35 program has remained a key issue in defense relations between Ankara and Washington.
FJ/MZ
