President Donald Trump lifts defense sanctions that bar certain military equipment sales to Turkey, report says

President Donald Trump has lifted a defense sanctions restriction that had barred the sale of certain military equipment to Turkey, according to a New York Post report published July 7. The report said the change could clear the way for advanced fighter-jet sales, with the possibility of Turkish access to F-35s described as a key implication.

The practical focus of the policy dispute centers on whether Turkey’s past procurement of Russian air-defense systems could create a risk to U.S. and partner aircraft security, particularly because the F-35 program involves sensitive systems and data. Reporting recalled that, during Trump’s first term, the United States removed Turkey from the F-35 program after Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system, citing concerns that Turkish use of the Russian equipment could facilitate collection of information about F-35 capabilities.

A separate report from The Times of Israel, dated September 25, 2025, described Israel’s longstanding position that any potential F-35 sales to Turkey could reduce Israel’s military qualitative edge. The same report said Israel has been the only Middle East operator of F-35s, and noted Israel was operating 45 aircraft and had another 30 on order at the time of the 2025 reporting.

The July 7 New York Post report also described opposition to the move, saying the decision has drawn resistance within Republican circles and from Israeli-aligned stakeholders. The New York Post characterization was not accompanied, in the provided materials, by a named vote, bill, court filing, or an official release detailing the legal mechanism used to lift the sanctions.

While the full scope and legal vehicle for the sanctions change were not included in the supplied item, the reported outcome would generally shift the approvals and export-permitting landscape for covered military equipment. If the lifted restriction applies specifically to categories relevant to advanced fighter systems, it would affect how the Department of Defense and related U.S. export authorities process licensing and end-use review going forward.

Next steps, based on the structure of past U.S.-Turkey F-35 restrictions described in the 2025 reporting, would likely include confirmation of which sanctions or statutory/contractual barriers were removed, what equipment categories are newly eligible, and what conditions or safeguards remain tied to air-defense and technology-access concerns. Any final determination would also be expected to go through interagency policy and export compliance processes, with details released by the relevant U.S. agencies if the administration issues formal guidance.