US President Donald Trump has rebuffed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call not to sell F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Netanyahu has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of destabilizing the Middle East, as Ankara has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
Trump, who arrived in Türkiye for a NATO summit on Tuesday, said he would consider selling the long-sought fighter jets to the US ally.
“I have no concerns about anything. I mean, he’s a leader of a country that he’s made a much better country, a much better country, a much more powerful country,” Trump said, according to The Hill.
Netanyahu had earlier urged Washington not to grant Ankara access to its most advanced fighter aircraft.
“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told Prime Times on Monday.
“Turkey is a great country, but it’s governed by a man who calls openly for the annihilation of Israel,” Netanyahu said, referring to Türkiye by its former English name.
According to Axios, the Israeli leader had privately lobbied Trump against supplying the jets and raised the issue during a phone call last week.
In 2019, the US expelled Türkiye from the F-35 program after Erdogan refused to abandon a deal to purchase Russia’s S-400 air defense missile system. Last year, Ankara confirmed that it remained interested in acquiring the aircraft but stressed that it would also retain the S-400s.
Erdogan has frequently clashed with Netanyahu, comparing the Israeli leader to Adolf Hitler. On Tuesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry accused Netanyahu of waging a “disinformation campaign” over the country’s role in the region.
“Netanyahu and his partners in crime deliberately distort any criticism directed at them and seek to divert attention through a systematic propaganda effort,” the ministry said.
Trump’s relations with Netanyahu have soured in recent months, as Israel’s continued airstrikes in Lebanon threatened to derail his peace talks with Iran. The US president acknowledged using harsh language during phone calls with his Israeli counterpart while demanding that Israel suspend the strikes.