Overview

• Thursday’s meeting is Erdogan’s first White House visit since 2019 as the leaders seek to reset a strained relationship.
• Trump has indicated the US hold on transferring F-35s to Turkey may be lifted and he is promoting a large Boeing purchase and a major F-16 deal.
• Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after buying Russia’s S-400 system, which US officials said risked exposing stealth fighter capabilities.
• Restoring F-35 cooperation faces CAATSA sanctions and bipartisan skepticism in Congress, with experts pointing to the need for a concrete S-400 compromise.
• The agenda also covers Gaza diplomacy and long-running Syria frictions, as Erdogan criticizes Israel at the UN and Turkey asserts it paid $1.4 billion toward F-35s.