...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
said Tuesday that he would "certainly consider" selling F-35 fighter jets to
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
, as he sat alongside Ottoman Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
summit in Ankara.
"It’s a decision we’re going to make... It’s certainly something we would consider," Trump said during a meeting with Erdogan at the latter’s presidential palace, noting that "we have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries."
An interesting concept.
While his remarks suggested that he was still deliberating the move, Rooters — citing two sources familiar with the matter — reported earlier Tuesday that Trump is expected to throw his support behind the sale during his visit in Ankara.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview on Monday that Israel is opposed to the sale, and on Tuesday confirmed that he urged Trump against the move. Turkey’s leaders have likened Israel’s conduct in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
to that of the Nazis during the Holocaust, and Jerusalem has also warned that selling the stealth jets to Ankara would undermine Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region, which US law commits to maintaining.
But Trump has long liked the strongman Erdogan, whom he again called a "friend" during their Tuesday meeting.
Trump also praised Turkey for not "getting into the fight" — on the side of Iran, in the recent war — given Turkey’s acrimonious "relationship with Israel."
The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.
How do Turkish programmers compare to Israeli programmers?
Israel has operated the aircraft for over a decade, building multiple squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern country to possess it.The Israel Air Force currently operates 48 of the aircraft with another 52 units on order.
Israel is anxious to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region by having the most advanced aircraft, and has previously worked to prevent the sale of the F-35 to other nearby countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start..., and the United Arab Emirates.
Turkey joined a multinational program to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, but was removed from it in 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.
Iran’s S-400s didn’t do them much good against the IAF, but of course, the Turks will note, Iranians aren’t Turks…
The US placed sanctions on Turkey over that Russian purchase under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, but Trump declared on Tuesday, when asked, that Washington would be lifting them.The sales would be lovely for American manufacturers, but can Turkey afford the expense?
Erdogan said he hoped for a positive result on the matter, telling news hounds that Trump had previously promised to give the NATO ally five jets and that the US president "always keeps his promises."Despite the warm relationship, Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system has remained a sore spot in bilateral ties. In response to Turkey’s purchase, Washington in 2020 imposed sanctions on a major Ottoman Turkish defense company and removed Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, where Ankara was also a production partner.
Congress also passed a law prohibiting any F-35 sales to Turkey as long as Ankara retained the S-400s, saying the Russian system posed a security risk to US-made combat aircraft. Currently, the US law does not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program.
One solution that has in recent weeks gained traction is to send the Russian system to a third country, although an agreement on this has yet to be sealed, Rooters reported. It was unclear if such a move would be accepted by Russia, which requires end-user obligations in weapons sales.
Last month, the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet engines worth more than $700 million for Turkey’s first indigenous combat jet, called KAAN.
For perspective, last year Turkey’s entire military spending totalled US$30 billion. Israel spent US$46.5 billion, but they were in the middle of a seven-front war.
Some politicians from the US Congress have raised objections, but the administration chose to go ahead with the sale anyway.Shortly after Trump’s Tuesday comments indicating openness to selling F-35s to Turkey, Netanyahu gave a pair of interviews that appeared to amount to a futile attempt at convincing Trump to change his mind.
"Everybody understands that notwithstanding the personal friendship that President Trump has with Erdogan, it doesn’t make Turkey a friendly country to the United States," Netanyahu said in a CNN
...formerly the
Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
interview.
Netanyahu accused Turkey of being "infected" with the Moslem Brüderbund, of threatening EU states, occupying Cyprus, harboring Hamas
..always the voice of sweet reason...
, and throwing political opponents and journalists in jail.
"He’s not exactly a model ally of the United States," said Netanyahu, adding that Erdogan threatens to destroy Israel.
Turkey has "aggressive aspirations," he said.
"This is not a force for peace and stability," Netanyahu continues, arguing that giving Turkey F-35s will bring "aggression in its wake."
NATO summit 2026 kicks off in Ankara with billions in arms contracts
[Rudaw] European Allies and Canada are investing around 4% of their GDP in defence and security spending as NATO allies unveiled billions of dollars in new arms contracts at a summit in Ankara on Tuesday, amid assurances to the US over President Donald Trump’s past criticism of the alliance's security commitments.
The summit comes a year after NATO members pledged to put forward “concrete plans to meet NATO's new defense spending target of 5% of GDP on defense and security-related spending by 2035.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies were "delivering" by signing “tens of billions of dollars in related new defense contracts” for drones, refuelling aircraft and surveillance systems.
“Just one year into a 10-year project, we see that European Allies and Canada are already investing around 4% of their GDP in defence and security,” said Secretary General Rutte.
The 2026 Ankara Summit is the second NATO summit hosted by Turkey, who is eager to play a role in Europe’s defense future. The 2026 NATO Summit agenda includes an agreement to increase defense production, cooperation, and joint procurement in order to generate stronger industrial deterrence for the Alliance, said Rutte.
"These changes require NATO Allies to reassess emerging threat perceptions and redefine their collective priorities. In this regard, the Ankara Summit represents another turning point in NATO’s historical evolution,” said the Turkish Presidency's Head of Communications on X hours before President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed President Trump at Ankara Airport.
The Summit comes as the US-Iran war, subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations regarding maritime transit have placed oil and energy exports and global defense strategy at the forefront of the international security agenda, as well as Washington’s overall role in the continent’s security framework. Trump, however, criticized European allies ahead of the summit, accusing them of failing to adequately support the United States after some countries restricted the use of their bases during the recent conflict with Iran.
"Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
European leaders are seeking to avoid tensions with Trump while demonstrating greater responsibility for the continent's defense.
France and Britain have proposed a potential naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, although deployment will depend on US-Iran developments.
On a related note, OPEC plus members have agreed to increase production by 188,000 barrels per day in August, with Iraq agreeing to increase by 26,000 barrels, according to Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman Salim Rukabi’s statements to Rudaw on Monday.
The increases in oil production, currently trading at $72 a barrel, are meant to restore stability to the oil market and forge alternate pathways for global energy security.
Israel leaves ambassador to Turkey post vacant after envoy’s retirement amid sharp tensions
[IsraelTimes] Israel has not appointed a new ambassador to Turkey following the recent retirement of its previous envoy amid escalating tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara, leaving the post vacant despite maintaining full diplomatic ties between the countries remaining, Channel 12 reports.
Irit Lillian, who was appointed Israel’s ambassador to Ankara in 2022, returned to Israel following the outbreak of the war against Hamas after the October 7, 2023, attack due to security concerns. Turkey subsequently recalled its own ambassador from Israel.
Since then, Lillian had continued managing ties with Turkish officials on a professional level from Israel, passing messages between the sides and handling issues involving Israeli citizens in Turkey, according to the Hebrew network.
However, Lillian retired several weeks ago, and the Foreign Ministry has given the impression that there is currently “no rush” to appoint a replacement, the report says.
The Foreign Ministry and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s office do not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Times of Israel on the report.
Israel’s relations with Turkey have drastically deteriorated following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rise to power and even further since the start of the Gaza war, and have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks over harsh rhetoric from Turkish officials and the potential sale of American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.