US reaffirms Türkiye must abandon S-400 to rejoin F-35 program

The US Department of State has reiterated that Türkiye cannot rejoin the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme unless it removes its Russian-made S-400 air defence system.

The statement came in a formal response to lawmakers calling for continued sanctions on Ankara, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

In a letter dated August 20 to Representative Chris Pappas and other members of Congress, the State Department said the US position “has not changed” and that Türkiye’s possession of the S-400 remains incompatible with participation in the F-35 programme. 

Signed by Paul D. Guaglianone, senior official at the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, the letter stressed that requirements for Türkiye are clearly defined under US law, including section 1245 of the 2020 National Defence Authorisation Act.

“The Trump Administration is fully committed to protecting US defence and intelligence assets and complying with US law, including CAATSA,” the letter said, referring to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, under which Türkiye was sanctioned following its 2019 purchase of the Russian system.

The correspondence followed an August 7 letter from a bipartisan group of 40 lawmakers, led by Representatives Pappas, Gus Bilirakis, Dina Titus and Nicole Malliotakis, urging the administration to reject Türkiye’s request to rejoin the programme. They warned that readmitting Ankara without dismantling the S-400s would “jeopardise the integrity of F-35 systems” and risk exposing NATO military secrets to Moscow.

The congressional effort was backed by advocacy groups including the American Hellenic Institute, the Armenian National Committee of America, the American Jewish Committee and American Friends of Kurdistan, all of which have long criticised Türkiye’s foreign policy and military actions in the region.

Türkiye was removed from the F-35 programme in 2019 after taking delivery of the Russian system, which Washington said compromised NATO technologies. Ankara has since lobbied for reinstatement, arguing its expulsion was unfair.

Reports of renewed talks with Washington on fighter jet cooperation have brought the issue back into focus.

While Türkiye remains a NATO ally, its defence ties with Russia have drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington. Efforts to restrict arms sales to Ankara have intensified in recent years, with Pappas also leading campaigns to block F-16 upgrades to the country.

By Aghakazim Guliyev