US President Donald Trump said he is seriously considering selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The discussion took place during Netanyahu’s fifth visit to the United States since Trump’s second term began, centered on the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan. When asked whether the US would approve the sale, Trump said the matter was under serious consideration.

Trump described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “very good friend” and assured that Turkey would not use the aircraft against Israel. He also said there would be no problems between the two nations. The US had previously suspended Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system, imposing sanctions on several Turkish defense entities under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Trump added that he would discuss Turkey’s potential participation in a multinational Gaza mission with Netanyahu and maintained that his relationship with Erdogan remained strong.