President Trump is signaling he wants to bring Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet program, reversing a ban that’s been in place since 2019. The move, timed ahead of a NATO summit scheduled for July 7 in Ankara, could reshape defense sector economics and redraw the geopolitical risk map that crypto and traditional markets increasingly trade on.
Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program after it bought Russia’s S-400 air defense system, a decision that infuriated Washington and triggered sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Now Trump appears ready to hit the undo button, telling reporters on June 24-25 that he plans to take actions that would “please” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the jets and associated F110 engines.
Congress isn’t exactly on board
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers began drafting a Joint Resolution of Disapproval as of June 29, aiming to block Turkey’s reinstatement in the program unless full legal compliance is verified.
Vice President JD Vance confirmed a review is underway to ensure any deal satisfies US law. The core issue remains Turkey’s S-400 purchase, which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle view as fundamentally incompatible with access to America’s most advanced stealth fighter.
