In a move stirring debate across the Middle East and within Washington’s own halls of power, US President Donald Trump has openly dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strenuous objections to the potential sale of advanced American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. The latest exchange, which unfolded as Netanyahu arrived in Washington for crucial talks with Trump on July 28, 2026, has thrown a spotlight on the delicate balance of alliances and rivalries shaping US policy in the region.
Speaking candidly to reporters aboard Air Force One on July 27, Trump made his stance crystal clear: “Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” he declared, according to CNN and ANI. He didn’t mince words about Turkey’s role either, describing the country as a “tremendous ally” and asserting, “Turkey has been a tremendous ally for me.” Trump’s comments came amid mounting pressure from Netanyahu, who had been lobbying hard to block the sale, warning that it could upend the region’s fragile power dynamics.
“He’s not exactly a model ally of the United States,” Netanyahu said of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with CNN earlier in July. “He threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state,” he added, painting Ankara as a regime “infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States.” Netanyahu didn’t stop there, warning that supplying Turkey with America’s most advanced fighter aircraft would have “far-reaching consequences for the region” and would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East.”
The Israeli leader’s visit to Washington was no ordinary diplomatic affair. With regional security and the ever-present Iran conflict topping the agenda, Netanyahu’s opposition to the F-35 sale took center stage. He told CNN he had “personally urged Trump not to approve the sale after Trump indicated he was considering lifting the restrictions imposed during his first term.” According to reports from CNN and ANI, Netanyahu’s lobbying was direct and urgent, reflecting deep Israeli concerns about shifting alliances and the potential for advanced weaponry to fall into the wrong hands.
But Trump, never one to shy away from controversy, pushed back against what he saw as foreign interference in US defense policy. “Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” he repeated, emphasizing that decisions on American arms sales are made solely in Washington. He even argued that Turkey has been “much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” a pointed remark that seemed to draw an implicit comparison with Israel and other regional partners.
The US president’s remarks also signaled a willingness to revisit the fraught history of US-Turkey defense cooperation. Back in 2019, during Trump’s first term, the US had suspended Turkey from the F-35 program after Ankara purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defense system—a move Washington said endangered the security of the F-35 jets. Turkey, for its part, has long insisted there’s no conflict between the S-400 and the F-35, even proposing a commission to study the issue, and claims it fulfilled all its obligations under the original deal. Ankara has argued that its suspension from the program violated established rules and that having the F-35s would strengthen not only Turkey, but also NATO as a whole, Anadolu reported.
Now, with Trump openly considering a reversal of the congressional ban and the possible lifting of sanctions imposed over the S-400 purchase, the prospect of a renewed F-35 deal has become a real possibility. “We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” Trump said, again highlighting Ankara’s perceived reliability as a partner. He described the F-35 as “the best plane by far” and said the sale was “certainly something we will consider.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has been upbeat about the chances of a deal. According to CNN and Anadolu, Erdogan indicated that Ankara believes it is close to finalizing an agreement with Washington for the purchase of US-made F-35 jets, as well as American-made engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter aircraft. Erdogan praised Trump’s “positive approach” to the negotiations, suggesting that the long-standing dispute over the S-400 may finally be on the verge of resolution. “Trump has taken a positive approach on delivering F-35 fighter jets to Turkey,” Erdogan said, signaling optimism that the two countries could soon move past years of strained defense ties.
The high-stakes talks in Washington, meanwhile, have left other regional powers on edge. Netanyahu’s warnings reflect deep Israeli anxieties about the potential for advanced American technology to shift the military balance—especially given Turkey’s increasingly assertive foreign policy and its strained relations with both Israel and some NATO allies. “The sale of America’s most advanced fighter aircraft doesn’t make Turkey a friendly state to the United States,” Netanyahu told CNN, reiterating his belief that Ankara’s government, influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, poses a threat not just to Israel but to the broader Western alliance.
Behind the scenes, Trump’s decision to brush aside Netanyahu’s concerns has also reignited debate within the US Congress, which had imposed the original ban on F-35 sales to Turkey over security fears. Some lawmakers remain wary of lifting sanctions and resuming arms sales, citing the unresolved issues around the S-400 system and Turkey’s recent foreign policy moves. Others, however, see renewed engagement as a pragmatic step toward restoring a key NATO partnership and countering Russian influence in the region.
For Ankara, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Turkish officials have repeatedly argued that their exclusion from the F-35 program was unfair and that their acquisition of the S-400 was based on legitimate national security needs. They maintain that there is no technical conflict between the Russian and American systems, and that the F-35s would bolster not just Turkey’s defenses but NATO’s collective security posture. “The jets would strengthen both Turkey and NATO,” Turkish officials have insisted, as reported by Anadolu.
As the diplomatic drama unfolds, one thing is certain: the outcome of the Trump-Netanyahu talks and the fate of the F-35 sale to Turkey will reverberate far beyond Washington. With regional power balances, alliance politics, and the future of advanced military technology all in play, the world is watching to see who—if anyone—will shape the next chapter of Middle Eastern security.
With both sides holding firm to their positions and the region’s future hanging in the balance, the coming days promise to be anything but dull.