US senators said Türkiye’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet program would be a positive step for both Ankara and Washington while stressing the need to strengthen NATO’s defense industry capacity.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, said the issue could move forward if a solution is found to address concerns over Türkiye’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
She recalled that Türkiye was removed from the F-35 program after its purchase of the system.
Shaheen said Türkiye’s return to the program would be positive for both Türkiye and the US if a solution eliminates the threat posed by the S-400 system to F-35 technology and if all sides can reach an agreement.
“We still have questions to answer with respect to what's being proposed, and we haven't gotten those answers,” she said, adding: “So we will wait and see what happens.”
Asked by Anadolu about US-Türkiye relations, Shaheen said criticism of Türkiye exists in the US Senate but that Congress views the relationship with Türkiye positively, particularly because of its role in NATO.
She said there is strong awareness in Congress of the importance of Türkiye’s defense industry infrastructure and its contribution to the alliance.
Summit taking place at ‘consequential time’
Shaheen also said the NATO summit is taking place at a consequential time, adding that she hoped discussions would reaffirm the alliance’s recommitment to Ukraine.
“The momentum is on the side of Ukraine at this point, and we need to do everything possible to ramp up pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table and to get a deal,” she said.
She noted that all NATO allies have met the 2% defense spending target and said defense expenditures in 2025 alone rose 20% compared with the previous year.
Shaheen added that many NATO allies are considering contributing to mine-clearing activities in the Strait of Hormuz, saying such support would also be important for efforts to end the war with Iran through negotiations.
Sen. Mike Rounds said NATO representatives he met during the summit acknowledged that their countries must do more and provide more funding for their own defense.
Türkiye important contributor to NATO
Rounds said Türkiye is an important contributor to NATO, adding that strengthening its capabilities would benefit the alliance.
“Anything we can do to provide them with the resources to be an even stronger adversary with regard to incursions by Russia in Europe, the better off we all are. One of those is to have that tool of the F-35,” he said.
He said NATO has undergone major changes since Russia attacked Ukraine and that strengthening the alliance’s defense industrial base should be among its top priorities.
Rounds said all allies are needed in this effort, adding that Washington wants Türkiye, along with other NATO members, to contribute to the growth of the alliance’s defense industrial infrastructure.
“They (Türkiye) were one of the countries selected to participate originally in the manufacturing of the F-35 fighter. That shows a strong competency in technological areas that provided that award to them in the first place,” he said.
‘NATO is alive and well’
Sen. Dick Durbin said the summit demonstrated that support for NATO is not limited to the US.
“NATO is alive and well,” he said.
Durbin said support for Ukraine against Russia’s attacks would continue with determination.
“There is an unequivocal commitment to the prevailing of Ukraine against the invasion of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. No ifs, ands or buts about it,” he said.
He added that Ukraine has achieved significant gains by effectively using technological innovations, particularly in recent months, as the war has continued for more than four years.
‘More work to do on co-production’
Sen. Chris Coons said allies have made striking progress since last year’s NATO summit in The Hague in the areas of defense and the provision of ammunition needed by Ukraine.
“Europe is rapidly rearming and investing in modernizing their defense industrial base,” Coons said. "We have more work to do on co-production.”
Coons said he hoped the NATO 3.0 concept would develop in a measured, methodical and gradual way over the next several years.
“At a time when our adversaries are coming closer together, equipping, training, sharing military technology, we need NATO more than ever,” he said.
He said Türkiye’s defense industry capacity was on display during the summit and described the meeting as a positive development.
Coons added that the summit also offered an important opportunity to overcome a longstanding issue in the strategic relationship between the two countries.
US Rep. Mike Turner, head of the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said defense budget measures under consideration in Congress clearly demonstrate support for both NATO and Ukraine.
“We have not walked away from Ukraine,” Turner said, adding that Washington continues to work every day to support Kyiv.
