Turkey Expects to Recover Payments for American F-35 Fighters

Turkey expects to recover the payments made for the acquisition of American F-35 fighter jets. This statement was made by National Defense Minister Yasar Guler. The information was reported by the Sabah newspaper and relayed by RIA Novosti.

Turkey is prepared to discuss the return to the F-35 fighter jet program with the United States, considering its exclusion from the program to be unfounded, as previously stated by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

“I believe we will be able to retrieve the money paid for the F-35, negotiations are ongoing,” the minister's remarks are quoted by Sabah.

In 2017, Turkey signed a contract with Russia for the supply of the S-400 missile system, receiving it in the summer and autumn of 2019. However, the U.S. demanded Turkey abandon the Russian systems in favor of the Patriot system, which Ankara did not agree to.

As a punishment, Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 advanced fighter jet supply program and imposed sanctions against leaders of the defense-industrial complex under the CAATSA law (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

The United States also canceled the joint memorandum on the F-35 with Turkey, signing it instead with the remaining seven partners in the F-35 project: the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada, and Norway.