Overview

• Trump said he will host Erdogan at the White House on Thursday for trade and military discussions, including a continuation of F-35 talks he expects to conclude positively.
• Four House members who lead the Congressional Hellenic Caucus urged the administration to be “very careful,” warning of risks to U.S. defense technology and allied security.
• Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring Russia’s S-400 air-defense system, a move lawmakers say violated CAATSA and eroded allied trust.
• Section 1245 of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act remains in effect, explicitly prohibiting transfer of F-35 aircraft or related technology to Turkey.
• An opinion piece reported that Erdogan may seek to return the S-400s to Russia to regain F-35 access, a claim not confirmed by U.S. officials.