Kathimerini, one of Greece’s prominent newspapers, evaluated the F-35 agenda between Turkey and the US. The report stated that “Serious reactions from Israel and concerns about Greece losing its qualitative advantage in the air will also be taken into account in the final decision.”

According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, following a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump, there has been behind-the-scenes activity in Washington in the last 24 hours.

The newspaper wrote, “It seems like a way is being sought to lift the sanctions against Ankara, with the ultimate goal of rejoining the F-35 program.” It was reported that shortly after the phone call between Trump and Erdoğan, rumors began to circulate in Washington that legal and political pathways were being explored to lift the sanctions imposed on Turkey for having the Russian S-400 systems, should Trump decide to do so. It was also reported that among other things, the possibility of destroying and rendering inoperable some parts of the systems was being considered. The report stated, “Not everyone in the US government agrees on the possibility of lifting sanctions that would unlock developments for the F-35s; serious reactions from Israel and concerns about Greece losing its qualitative edge in the air will also be factored into the final decision.” Kathimerini, stating that “if Trump decides to show political will to resolve the sanctions issue, then things will become easier,” also included the following statement: “Because the CAATSA law envisions that, based on specific and enumerated analytical reasons concerning the national security of the United States, the President can waive, terminate, or impose additional sanctions. The only condition for the President to take this step is to submit an informative report to the relevant congressional committees explaining the reasons for his decision. It should be remembered that this report is purely informational and does not provide Congress with an opportunity to object, express reservations, or present opposing views.” An article based on two informed sources was published on American Fox News the other day, reporting that Trump had evaluated the sale of F-35s to Ankara. Trump was also cited to have considered lifting sanctions against Turkey after his meeting with President Erdoğan. The report stated, “Trump indicated that he is open to the idea of selling F-35 aircraft to Turkey if both sides reach an agreement that would render Turkey’s S-400s inoperable.” The article mentioned that for these aircraft to be sold to Turkey, the US would need to lift sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and Trump had directed his team to work on a plan on “how Turkey can avoid CAATSA sanctions.” During the phone call made on the 16th of March between President Erdogan and President Trump, various bilateral and regional topics were thoroughly discussed.