WASHINGTON

US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said Tuesday that Washington is engaged in “ongoing discussions” with Ankara on its bid to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program, expressing hope for a “breakthrough” in the coming months.

In a post on the US social media company X’s platform, Barrack said the talks center on Türkiye’s “desire to rejoin the F-35 program and their possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.”

“As laid out in U.S. law, Türkiye must no longer operate nor possess the S-400 system to return to the F-35 program,” he wrote.

Barrack said the “positive relationship” between President Donald Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has created “a new atmosphere of cooperation,” leading to the “most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.”

“Our hope is that these talks will yield a breakthrough in the coming months that meets both the security requirements of the United States and Türkiye,” he added.

The US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after objecting to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, claiming the system would endanger the fighter jets and is inoperable with NATO systems. Several Turkish defense entities were sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).​​​​​​​

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also signaled progress, saying over the weekend that Ankara is close to resolving its dispute with Washington over the CAATSA sanctions tied to the S-400 purchase.

“I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle,” he said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.