President Donald Trump announced on July 7, 2026, that he will lift US sanctions on Turkey, a move that reverses restrictions he himself authorized during his first term. Sitting alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump made it characteristically simple: “We’re going to be taking the sanctions off. Okay?”
The sanctions in question were imposed on December 14, 2020, under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Turkey’s crime? Purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which Washington viewed as a direct threat to NATO interoperability and the security of the F-35 fighter jet program.
Turkey became the first NATO ally ever sanctioned under CAATSA. The penalties targeted Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) and its chief, Dr. Ismail Demir, imposing export bans, asset freezes, and visa restrictions. Turkey was also booted from the F-35 consortium, losing both its manufacturing role and its order for the jets.
Now, roughly six years later, Trump wants to undo all of that. He even hinted at restoring Turkey’s access to the F-35 program, though legal hurdles remain before any jets can actually change hands.
