Türkiye, on which America had imposed strict sanctions years ago for purchasing arms from Russia, is now seeing a new beginning in relations with the same country. US President Donald Trump has said that his government will work towards removing the sanctions imposed on Turkey and a decision will also be taken on selling it the F-35 stealth fighter jet, which is among the world’s most modern fighter planes. If this decision is implemented, it will not only change the relations between America and Turkey, but can also have a big impact on the strategic politics of NATO, Russia and the entire Middle East.
This matter is also important because despite being a member of NATO, Türkiye has purchased S-400 air defense system from Russia in 2019. After this deal, America had excluded Turkey from the F-35 program and imposed sanctions under the CAATSA law. Now Trump’s statement is indicating that he may reconsider his old decision. However, the final decision is still pending. To implement this, the approval of the US government and Congress will also be necessary.
What is the whole matter?
According to Reuters report, Trump said that he will work with his allies to lift the sanctions imposed on Türkiye. Besides, a decision will also be taken on the issue of selling F-35 fighter aircraft. It is being told that there was a detailed discussion on this topic between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently. This news has come to light after the meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit.
Why were the restrictions imposed?
In 2019, Turkey had purchased S-400 air defense system from Russia instead of America. America got angry with this. He said that if Turkey has both S-400 and F-35, then the secret military technology of F-35 can reach Russia. For this reason, in 2020, America imposed sanctions on Türkiye under the CAATSA law and also excluded it from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Why is the F-35 so special?
F-35 is counted among the most advanced stealth fighter planes in the world. Its biggest feature is that it can attack over long distances while avoiding enemy radar. Apart from this, it has state-of-the-art sensors, network-based warfare capability and the ability to carry many types of modern weapons. For this reason, it is being used by the US Air Force and many NATO countries. If America decides to sell F-35 to Turkey again, it can reduce the tension that has been going on for years in the relations between the two countries to a great extent.
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