The U.S. and Turkey could resolve long-standing defense sanctions imposed over Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Barrack told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.

According to Barrack, Presidents Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to direct their officials to find a solution by year-end.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity here, as we have two leaders who trust each other,” Barrack said.

Turkey’s delivery of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. has been on hold since 2019, following its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. 

This decision led to Turkey’s removal from the program, despite having invested $1.3 billion and serving as a manufacturing partner. It also resulted in the cancellation of its F-35 deliveries and sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which aims to discourage U.S. allies from buying weapons from Russia, viewed by Washington as a geopolitical rival.

These developments cost Turkey billions in investments and disrupted its plans to modernize its aging F-16 fleet.

Last week, Erdogan said he discussed the F-35 delivery with President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in The Hague.

“We made payments of $1.3 to 1.4 billion for F-35s, and we saw that Mr. Trump was well-intentioned about delivering them,” Erdogan said.

“Our teams are continuing work on the maintenance and modernization of our F-16s as well as on procurement related to the F-35s,”  Erdogan added.

While Erdogan has built a strong political relationship with Trump, he remains one of the most outspoken critics of Israel, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Newsweek noted that acquiring advanced U.S. F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. would significantly enhance Turkey’s air force, bringing its capabilities closer to those of Israel’s air force.