Why the U.S. Is Still Blocking Turkey’s F-35 Deal

The U.S. State Department is, for now, opposed to approving the sale of fighter jets to Turkey. That is according to a report published today (Sunday) by the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini."

According to the report, in a letter to Congress, State Department officials in Washington wrote that Turkey does not meet the legal conditions set for the deal, under which it would receive advanced F-35 stealth jets. The letter said that the American policy on the issue "remains unchanged and is fully consistent with U.S. sanctions laws against adversarial countries."

In response to an inquiry from Democratic Congressman Wesley Bell, the Office of Legislative Affairs said that no F-35 aircraft will be transferred as long as Turkey does not comply with the requirement to get rid of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

The condition requires Turkey to prove that it no longer possesses the system, remove all related equipment, and provide unequivocal guarantees that it will not purchase it again in the future. The U.S. State Department told Congress that "Turkey has not yet met these conditions."

The Greek report also noted that the State Department letter warns about the extensive financial infrastructure maintained by Hamas on Turkish soil. "Hamas's use of informal financial networks and money changers in Turkey remains a source of deep concern, and we are committed to disrupting these funding channels," it said.