Trump Thinks About Selling F-35 Fighter Jets to Turkey at Odds with Israel on Syria

Illustration of a fighter jet. (Unsplash-Bing Hui)

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said he was considering selling high-end F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

This was conveyed by Trump during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu who firmly opposed the move.

"We're thinking about it very seriously," Trump said when asked about the F-35 deal for Turkey as he met Netanyahu at the US leader's club in Florida, AFP reported.

The US removed Turkey from the development of the F-35 top-class stealth fighter jet in 2019, after the NATO ally went ahead with the purchase of a missile defense system from Russia.

Israeli policymakers argue that the F-35 would benefit Turkey in a potential war. Israel and Turkey are known to have differences over war-torn Syria, which borders both countries.

Trump has a warm relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When asked about the potential conflict between Israel and Turkey, Trump called Erdogan a "very good friend."

"We're not going to have a problem," Trump said of Israel and Turkey. "Nothing's going to happen."

During his first term, Trump also agreed to sell F-35s to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the UAE recognized Israel.

Recently, he expressed support for the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, despite a long-standing US policy that Israel must have military superiority over potential enemies in the region.