A Republican congressman is pushing back against any potential F-35 sale to Turkey, circulating a letter to President Tr...

A Republican congressman is pushing back against any potential F-35 sale to Turkey, circulating a letter to President Trump urging him to keep the ban that has been in place since 2019. New York Rep. Mike Lawler is collecting signatures from fellow members of Congress before sending the letter to the White House. In the letter, first reported by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Lawler argues that Turkey's behavior under Erdogan makes any such sale contrary to American national interest. He specifically points to Turkey's "continued aggressive posture" toward key U.S. partners, combined with Ankara's defense cooperation with Washington's adversaries. Lawler reminds Trump that it was his own first administration that removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019, after Ankara purchased Russia's S-400 air defense system. He also cites the 2020 defense authorization act passed by Congress, which legally prohibits the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey for as long as it retains the S-400. The letter goes further than just the S-400 issue. Lawler ties the sale to Turkey's ongoing military occupation of northern Cyprus, its actions toward Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Erdogan's increasingly hostile rhetoric against Israel. While acknowledging Turkey's NATO membership since 1952, he argues the country cannot easily be considered a reliable partner under current conditions. Lawler closes the letter with a direct warning to Trump, saying that reversing the 2019 policy would send the wrong message to both Erdogan and U.S. allies across Europe and the Middle East. #Greece #Turkey #F35