US President Donald Trump has said that Washington will lift sanctions on Türkiye imposed under the CAATSA law and indicated a decision on the long-running F-35 fighter jet dispute is imminent, as he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara ahead of the NATO Leaders' Summit.
"We're going to be taking the sanctions off," Trump told reporters before closed-door talks with Erdogan on Tuesday.
Asked specifically about CAATSA sanctions on Türkiye, Trump replied: "The US will be lifting sanctions."
"Don't want to sanction friends," he added.
F-35 jets
Turning to the F-35 programme, Trump said the issue would be addressed during the visit.
"It's a decision we're going to make," he said.
Erdogan said the dispute over the fifth-generation fighter jets was not new and had been discussed repeatedly with Washington.
"We have been promised five jets," the Turkish president said, adding that he expected the issue to move "in a positive course" during the NATO summit.
Erdogan also said he believed a favourable decision on the F-35 programme would emerge from the Ankara summit, adding that Trump had consistently stood by his commitments.
Trump also touched on Türkiye's indigenous KAAN fighter jet programme, saying that Washington had "an obligation to maintain engines."
Erdogan said Trump would announce "good news" regarding US support for KAAN engine cooperation.
Trade, defence and regional security
Trump said military cooperation and trade would feature prominently in his talks with Erdoğan.
"We're going to talk about military," Trump said. "We'll talk about trade."
The US president praised Erdogan's leadership, saying Türkiye had become militarily "very strong" under his presidency.
"You are a leader respected all over the world," Trump told Erdogan, adding later that he had "a lot of respect" for the Turkish leader and believed stronger ties were "to the benefit of both countries."
Trump attending summit due to Erdogan
Trump also described Erdogan as "my friend" and said he had been disappointed with NATO in recent years, remarking that he might not have attended the summit had it not been hosted in Türkiye under Erdogan's leadership.
Erdogan welcomed Trump to Ankara, saying the visit "has given us strength."
"I would particularly like to emphasise the importance of this visit," he said.
The Turkish president said the two leaders would also discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran-US relations and efforts to achieve peace in Gaza.
Erdogan said Ankara was working to place relations between Tehran and Washington on a "stable footing" while continuing broader efforts to promote regional and global peace.
