Military

Pentagon Says F-35 Fighter Jets for Turkiye ‘Not on Table’ at Present Time

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The provision of F-35 fighter jets by the United States for Turkiye is not currently on the table due to Ankara maintaining Russian S-400 air defense systems, Defense Department spokesperson Pat Ryder said on Tuesday.
Sputnik
"Right now, with Turkiye maintaining the S-400, that is currently not something that is on the table," Ryder said during a press briefing.
Earlier this week, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said the United States would be open to discussing the provision of F-35 aircraft for Turkiye if Ankara could resolve the S-400 issue.
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The US restricted the provision of the F-35 jets to Turkiye after Ankara signed a contract with Russia for S-400 systems instead of the US Patriot missile air defense systems.
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