Erdogan Confident Trump Will Sell F-35 Fighter Jets to Turkey

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hinted that he believes a deal is close for Ankara to buy F-35 fighter jets and US-made jet engines for Turkey's flagship fighter, KAAN.

When discussing the F-35 jets in a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump, Erdoğan said Turkey "was promised five units of the jet."

"We believe that President Trump has also made a separate promise regarding this and we hope that the news we received earlier will prove positive in the future," Erdogan said, quoted by CNN, Tuesday, July 7.

"President Trump has always kept his word, and hopefully, with regard to the F-35, we will get useful results and decisions from this summit of leaders," he added.

Regarding the US-made engine for the Turkish KAAN jet, Erdoğan said he believed Trump had good news.

"I believe he will repeat the good news; I think that thanks to this good news, I will most likely express my gratitude to him at this summit," he said.

Trump said he would soon decide whether to sell the jets to Turkey, despite a ban from Congress. He also said he would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey for buying Russian air defense systems.