By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
The United States has told Congress that Türkiye has not yet met the legal conditions required to receive F-35 fighter jets, limiting President Donald Trump's ability to revive the long-stalled sale through political backing alone.
State Department says legal conditions remain unmet
In a July 22 letter sent by the State Department's Bureau of Legislative Affairs on behalf of the White House, the administration said its position remained consistent with Section 231 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and Section 1245 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
"Turkey has not yet met these conditions," the department said in its response to Democratic Representative Wesley Bell of Missouri.
Ankara would need to stop possessing the Russian-made S-400 system or related equipment, provide assurances that it would not acquire them again and meet the remaining certification requirements under US law.
The department said any arrangement must be transparent, lawful and consistent with US national security interests.
Trump's support does not remove congressional restrictions
The letter followed Trump's July 7 meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit. Trump said Washington intended to lift sanctions imposed on Türkiye and would decide whether to support an F-35 sale.
The meeting returned the long-running fighter aircraft dispute to the centre of the bilateral defense agenda, following earlier signals that the F-35 and S-400 files would feature in the Trump-Erdoğan talks in Ankara.
The written response shows that any political decision would still have to overcome restrictions imposed by Congress.
Ankara says a settlement is closer
Turkish officials have expressed growing confidence that a settlement can be reached.
Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü said on July 17 that Türkiye and the United States were closer than before to resolving both the F-35 dispute and the sanctions imposed under CAATSA.
He said a joint political and military working group had examined options intended to satisfy US legal requirements while taking Türkiye's political and economic concerns into account.
"This time we really feel closer," Gümrükçü said during an Atlantic Council event in Washington. "We feel that we might be able to resolve this issue and leave that problem behind us."
Six aircraft remain central to Türkiye's position
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Ankara's immediate focus includes the delivery of six aircraft Türkiye says it purchased before being suspended from the program.
He has also drawn a distinction between lifting the ban on aircraft transfers and returning Türkiye to the multinational production partnership.
Türkiye took delivery of the S-400 system in 2019. Washington suspended Ankara from the F-35 program that year and imposed CAATSA sanctions on the Presidency of Defense Industries in 2020.
Ankara says the purchase was a one-time procurement made to meet an urgent air defense need. US officials argue that operating the Russian system alongside the F-35 would create unacceptable security risks for the aircraft and NATO systems.
The July 22 letter keeps the diplomatic channel open but leaves the statutory barrier unchanged.
Sources: US Department of State letter as reported by Kathimerini and The Jerusalem Post, White House, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anadolu Agency, Bosphorus News reporting and review.