US talks with Turkey about expulsion from F-35 project

The US and Turkey have started talks on Ankara’s expulsion from the F-35 Lightning fifth-generation fighter programme in 2019.

Turkey was removed after it bought into the Russian S-400 missile defence system and refused US insistence that it back out of the deal with Moscow.

The US put sanctions on Turkey the following year.

Ankara joined the F-35 co-production consortium in 2002 and the Turkish government had planned and made payments towards the purchase of 100 aircraft.

It now wants $1.4 billion in compensation.

The discussions, led by the Pentagon’s Andrew Winternitz, principal director for Europe and Nato policy, and Melissa Benkert, director for planning, programmes and analysis, made it clear that Turkey’s expulsion from the programme was final.

Now the sides are trying to find ways to settle the payment dispute without Turkey returning to the programme.

“Either Turkey needs to be sent back to the F-35 programme or the money we paid should be given or compensated with other products,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turk on Thursday.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the matter in talks with their counterparts Hulusi Akar and Ibrahim Kalin.

“The secretary reaffirmed the US’ recognition of Turkey’s military modernisation needs,” a statement from the Pentagon read.

One compensation proposal from Turkey includes updating its fleet of F-16s.

It maintains more than 200 F-16s, but approximately 100 of them are in need of upgrades.

But in a letter to US President Joe Biden this week, 11 members of Congress cited “a profound sense of concern” about granting Turkey more of the jets.

“We cannot afford to compromise our national security by sending US-manufactured aircraft to a treaty ally that continues to behave like an adversary,” the letter read.