The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, has stated that he expects President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reach an agreement on lifting sanctions against Turkey by the end of this year, RKS News reports.
In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Barrack said that both leaders are expected to give formal instructions to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to work toward a solution.
The sanctions, imposed by the U.S. in 2020 under the CAATSA law, were a response to Turkey’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. As a consequence, Ankara was expelled from the F-35 fighter jet program, in which it had been both a buyer and a production partner.
“We believe there is an exceptional opportunity here, as we have two leaders who trust each other,” Barrack said, adding that U.S.-Turkey relations have strengthened since Trump’s return to the White House.
Turkey has demanded either reentry into the F-35 program or reimbursement for its financial investments in the project.
