WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department stated in a July 22, 2026, letter to Congress that Turkey does not meet the legal requirements to receive F-35 aircraft. The letter specified that no F-35 aircraft can be transferred to Turkey until Ankara fully complies with U.S. law.

The correspondence was sent by the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump. It served as a response to a previous letter from Representative Wesley Bell (D-Missouri) regarding the status of the defense agreement. The agency affirmed that U.S. policy toward Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program remains unchanged. This stance aligns with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and Section 1245 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Specific compliance conditions require Turkey to resolve the dispute over its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Ankara must no longer possess the system or any related equipment to satisfy U.S. statutory requirements. The letter also mandated that Turkey provide assurances it will not acquire the S-400 system again.

Additionally, the nation must meet all remaining statutory certification requirements before any transfer can occur. The State Department wrote, "Turkey has not yet met these conditions." The agency further stated that any process aimed at resolving the S-400 issue must be "transparent, lawful, and consistent with our national security interests." Despite the blockage, the letter noted that Washington will continue to engage with Ankara to resolve the S-400 issue while strengthening NATO cooperation.

This determination continues a pattern of U.S. actions regarding the F-35 program and Russian defense technology. It removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 following its purchase of the S-400 system. Under CAATSA, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on 12 countries for transactions with Russia, including Turkey in 2020.

In 2020, it certified that Turkey had not resolved the S-400 issue, which blocked F-35 sales. The FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act explicitly requires the U.S. President to certify that Turkey has removed the S-400 system before sales can proceed. In 2021, it reported that Turkey had not fulfilled the necessary conditions for F-35 acquisition. Officials reiterated the requirement for transparency in resolving the dispute and noted that Turkey had not fully complied with CAATSA requirements at that time.

The letter outlined several areas where the bilateral relationship remains active. It described the U.S.-Turkey relationship as based on shared security interests and balanced bilateral trade. It credited Turkey with supporting U.S. diplomatic initiatives involving Russia and Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Gaza.

Ankara also received credit for supporting counter-ISIS and broader regional counterterrorism operations. The document stated that Ankara played "a pivotal role" in advancing President Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Turkey used its ties with Hamas’s political leadership to help secure acceptance of the plan and advance the first phase of the ceasefire. Additionally, the letter noted that Turkey became a founding member of the Board of Peace. The country continues contributing to regional stability, including in Syria. However, it stated that Hamas’s use of informal financial networks and unlicensed exchange houses in Turkey "remains a concern." Washington affirmed its commitment to disrupting illicit financing streams involving Hamas-related entities, including sham charities. This diplomatic exchange followed a bilateral meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on July 7, 2026.