US lawmakers urge Trump to maintain F-35 sales ban to Turkey

Ten members of the US Congress, led by Representative Mike Lawler, have written to President Donald Trump urging him to maintain the 2019 ban on selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. The letter highlights that Turkey's procurement of the Russian S-400 air defense system remains the primary reason for its exclusion from the program. Lawmakers argue that Turkey's policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toward US allies and its defense cooperation with American rivals contradict US interests. The correspondence also references the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which codified the ban on transferring F-35s to Ankara as long as the S-400 system remains in Turkish possession. Furthermore, the legislators cite concerns regarding Turkey's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, including its military presence in northern Cyprus and regional rhetoric. The signatories emphasize that the F-35 program is vital for NATO collective defense and interoperability. The initiative to gather signatures is currently ongoing to solidify opposition against a potential policy reversal.