Erdogan derides Israeli and Greek concerns over potential US sale of F-35s to Turkey

Turkish leader says opposition from leaders of Israel and Greece ‘has no place in my world,’ as Ankara accuses Jerusalem of ‘disinformation campaign’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday dismissed objections from Israel and Greece concerning the possible US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

Speaking at a closing news conference at the end of the two‑day summit he hosted, the Turkish president said opposition raised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis “has no place in my world.”

Trump had announced during a meeting with Erdogan on Tuesday that the US would lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased Russian missile defense systems in 2019. That purchase had led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program.

On Wednesday, however, Trump suggested he hadn’t made up his mind concerning the F-35s, though Erdogan insisted that Trump has a “positive approach” toward the sale of the steal fighters.

“Hopefully, when the F-35s are delivered to Turkey, the whole world will say America kept its promise,” Erdogan said.

His remarks came after Ankara earlier in the day dismissed Israeli concerns about Turkey’s potential acquisition of F-35s as “disinformation.”

“The baseless allegations recently circulated by Israeli officials in a coordinated manner and with calculated timing are part of a disinformation campaign,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.

“Netanyahu and his partners in crime deliberately distort any criticism directed at them and seek to divert attention through a systematic propaganda effort.”

Netanyahu on Monday publicly urged the United States not to sell the jets to NATO ally Turkey, arguing it would “upset the power balance” in the region.

Last month, Trump promised to make Erdogan “very happy” when asked about Turkey looking to secure F110 jet engines and regaining access to the F-35 program.

Analysts say Turkey wants to secure the new engines for use in its flagship KAAN stealth fighter project, as Ankara seeks to join the exclusive club of nations producing fifth-generation combat aircraft, which notably includes the United States, China and Russia.

Ankara’s foreign ministry said Israel’s pushback could not “conceal the Netanyahu government’s genocide in Gaza, its policies of occupation and annexation, and its destabilizing actions in the region.” Erdogan is a longtime supporter of Gaza-ruling Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel sparked the two-year-long war in the enclave.

The Turkish foreign ministry added Turkey wanted to see peace, stability and prosperity come to the whole region and that “with this understanding, we once again call on Israel to pursue a constructive and peaceful policy.”

Netanyahu on Monday told Fox News: “I don’t think (Turkey) should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East.”

Trump hails Netanyahu and Erdogan as ‘terrific’

As Israel and Turkey verbally sparred, Trump praised both Netanyahu and Erdogan while acknowledging the ongoing feud between them, saying he told the Israeli premier that he personally prevented Erdogan from entering the war against Iran on Tehran’s side.

“I like Erdogan,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey, calling the Turkish leader “terrific.”

“You know, he could have gone into the [Iran] war,” he said, repeating a claim he made late last month, before pointing to remarks by Netanyahu – whom he also praises as “a terrific wartime prime minister” – and the premier’s recent criticism of Erdogan.

“Bibi said real things yesterday about Turkey and Erdogan,” Trump said, using the premier’s nickname. “And I said, you know, I spoke to [Netanyahu]. I said [Erdogan] could have gone into the war because he doesn’t like Israel much, and he doesn’t like Bibi much, and he didn’t go because of me.”

He added that Turkey is “a military power, [with] millions of soldiers. Turkey is very strong. They have a lot of our best equipment. They’re trying to get the F-35.”

“But [Erdogan] didn’t go in” to the Iran war, Trump sids, again claiming he had persuaded the Turkish leader to stay out of the conflict, apparently suggesting that demonstrated Ankara was not acting as a hostile party.

“He would have gone in, and he would have been on the other side – I don’t think he likes the other side either, because he happens to be very sane, and they happen to be very crazy – but I think, you know, they treated us right,” he said.

Turkey did not give any public indication that it was considering joining the fighting on Iran’s side during the war, and in several instances was in the line of Iranian missile fire that was downed by NATO air defenses.