US President Donald Trump intends to hold talks in Washington on September 25th with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dedicated to trade issues and arms purchases.
"I would be happy to welcome Erdogan to the White House on September 25th", Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"We are working with him on a number of commercial and military deals, including a large deal to purchase Boeing aircraft, a major agreement for F-16 fighter jets; "we will continue the negotiations on the F-35 fighter-bombers, which we believe will end well," Trump continued.
He noted that he has always maintained a very good relationship with Erdogan.
At the end of June, the US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack suggested that Ankara and Washington could resolve the issue of Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 production program by the end of 2025, which followed the Turkish side's purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
Turkey purchased four S-400 divisions from Russia. On October 23, 2019, "Rosoboronexport" reported that Russia had fulfilled this contract ahead of schedule, having delivered to Turkey all elements of the S-400 systems, including the missiles.
The United States has repeatedly expressed concern about Turkey's acquisition of the S-400, as it believed that Russia could use these systems to obtain information about the F-35. In addition, the Pentagon has stated that Turkey must return the S-400 air defense system to Russia if Ankara wants to receive Patriot missile systems from the United States.
As a result, Washington excluded Ankara from the F-35A production program after Turkey purchased the S-400. The United States has imposed restrictive measures against Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).