President Donald Trump opened the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, by saying he would lift Turkey sanctions and consider restoring Ankara’s access to U.S. F-35 fighter jets, a major diplomatic win for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a clear signal that Trump is again reshaping the alliance around burden-sharing, loyalty and American leverage.
The announcement came as Trump met Erdogan at the Turkish presidential compound, where the U.S. president praised the Turkish leader and said Turkey had been more helpful to the United States than many traditional Western allies. Trump said the sanctions were imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and told reporters, “We’re going to be taking the sanctions off”.
The decision immediately moved Turkey’s long-running defense dispute with Washington back to the center of NATO politics. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems, and Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions in 2020 over that purchase. Trump’s move does not automatically put Turkey back inside the F-35 program, but it lowers one of the biggest barriers between Ankara and the advanced U.S. fighter jet.
Turkey Sanctions Shift Gives Erdogan A Major Win
Trump’s message was direct: Turkey is a friend, and the United States should not keep sanctioning friends. That language matters because Turkey has spent years trying to repair a defense relationship damaged by Ankara’s decision to buy Russian military technology while remaining a NATO member.
Seated next to Erdogan, Trump said the United States would consider selling F-35s to Turkey again, a goal Erdogan has pursued for years. Only a limited number of countries have access to the aircraft, and Turkey’s earlier role in the program was canceled because of concerns that Russian systems could compromise sensitive U.S. technology.
Trump said he had no concerns about Turkey’s handling of the matter, while Erdogan expressed hope that Washington would move forward on defense sales. The Turkish leader also said the two countries would discuss jet engines for Turkey’s domestically produced KAAN fighter plane, a major priority for Ankara’s defense industry.
For Erdogan, the timing could not be better. Hosting the NATO summit in Ankara already gives Turkey a stage to project influence. Trump’s decision to lift sanctions gives Erdogan something more concrete: a chance to argue that Turkey is not an isolated troublemaker inside NATO, but a central power that Washington still needs.
Trump Uses NATO Summit To Demand Burden-Sharing
Trump also used the summit to renew his broader complaint that too many NATO allies have relied on American protection while underinvesting in their own defense. At last year’s NATO summit in The Hague, alliance members committed to spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035, up from the previous 2% benchmark.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said the administration’s goal is to shift more of Europe’s conventional defense burden to European allies and Canada. He said Poland, the Nordic countries and the Baltic states are leading the way, while Germany is on track to hit 5% by 2029 and others are still lagging.
That is the core of Trump’s NATO doctrine. The United States remains the strongest military power in the alliance, but Trump is making clear that American taxpayers should not carry the bill for wealthy European states that can afford to defend themselves.
That message is long overdue. NATO’s survival depends on credibility, and credibility requires military capacity, not speeches about unity. European governments that spent decades expanding welfare states while leaning on U.S. deterrence are now facing the bill for that complacency.
F-35 Question Remains Legally Complicated
Lifting Turkey sanctions is politically significant, but selling F-35s to Ankara remains more complicated. Congress passed restrictions after Turkey’s Russian S-400 purchase, and legal hurdles still stand between Trump’s public support and a completed sale.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn has already signaled caution, saying he hopes Turkey is not returned to the program without meeting the necessary requirements. That concern is not a small detail. The F-35 is one of America’s most sensitive weapons systems, and lawmakers will want assurances that Russian-linked equipment cannot expose U.S. technology or compromise allied security.
This is where Trump’s instincts and Washington’s defense bureaucracy may collide. Trump sees Erdogan as a strong leader who can help stabilize a difficult region, preserve NATO’s southern flank and support U.S. goals in the Middle East. Many in Congress and the national security establishment see Turkey as an unreliable ally that has played too close to Moscow.
A balanced policy would recognize both realities. Turkey is not a conventional European ally, and Erdogan’s government has often irritated Washington and Brussels. But Turkey also controls critical geography, fields NATO’s second-largest military by personnel and sits at the intersection of Europe, the Black Sea, the Middle East and Central Asia. A serious U.S. strategy cannot simply wish Turkey away.
NATO Tries To Prove It Is Serious
While Trump was praising Erdogan and pressing allies, NATO leaders worked to show they are responding to U.S. demands. The alliance showcased new military projects worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara, including surveillance aircraft and defense industry initiatives intended to prove that European members are turning higher spending promises into real capability.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called for a defense industry revolution and warned that the alliance needs capabilities now. That is the right emphasis. The West does not deter Russia, China, Iran or any other adversary with press conferences. It deters with production lines, ammunition stockpiles, air defenses, drones, ships and trained forces.
Still, Europe’s defense sector remains fragmented and weighed down by red tape. That weakness has left many countries dependent on American weapons and American leadership. Trump’s criticism may be blunt, but the underlying point is hard to dispute: An alliance of wealthy democracies should not need constant pressure from Washington to meet its own defense needs.
The summit also comes as Trump continues to press for a settlement in the Russia-Ukraine war and expresses frustration that some European allies have not supported his administration’s moves around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Those disputes have widened the divide between Washington and parts of Europe, even as the alliance tries to project unity.
A Transactional NATO Is Taking Shape
Trump’s embrace of Erdogan will anger some U.S. allies and please others. It will raise legitimate concerns about Turkey’s Russian defense ties, human rights record and reliability inside NATO. It will also delight those who believe U.S. foreign policy should be transactional, hard-nosed and focused on American interests rather than polite diplomatic habits.
That is the real story in Ankara. Trump is not treating NATO as a sentimental club. He is treating it as a strategic bargain. Allies that help the United States, spend more on defense and bring military value to the table get rewarded. Allies that lecture Washington while relying on U.S. protection get pressured.
The Turkey sanctions decision fits that pattern. Trump is betting that Erdogan’s Turkey is too important to keep at arm’s length and that lifting sanctions can pull Ankara closer to Washington at a moment when NATO needs serious partners, not symbolic unity.
Critics are right to demand safeguards before F-35 technology is shared. Congress should insist on strict conditions, clear verification and protection for U.S. military secrets. But the broader reset with Turkey is not irrational. It reflects a changing world in which geography, production capacity and hard power matter more than diplomatic comfort.
Trump’s message in Ankara was unmistakable. NATO allies must spend more, contribute more and stop assuming the United States will carry every burden. Turkey, for all its complications, is being offered a path back toward deeper defense ties. Whether Erdogan takes that path responsibly will determine whether Trump’s gamble strengthens NATO or creates another headache inside an already strained alliance.
