‘Nobody tells me what we should be selling’: Trump on Netanyahu’s opposition to proposed F-35 jet deal

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) pushed back on opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the potential sale of American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, declaring that no external leader influences US arms sales.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump dismissed Netanyahu’s reservations over arming Ankara, calling Turkey a “tremendous ally.” “Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump said. “Turkey has been a tremendous ally for me”.

The US President’s remarks come as Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday (local time) for high-level talks with Trump, placing regional security and the confrontation with Iran at the top of the bilateral agenda.

REPORTER: “Prime Minister Netanyahu opposes sending the F-35s to Turkey…”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not. Turkey has been a tremendous ally.” pic.twitter.com/F0sdwvIYfE

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 27, 2026

Earlier this month, Netanyahu had voiced strong opposition to the possible sale of US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, warning that such a move would alter the regional balance of power, CNN reported.

In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said he had personally urged US President Donald Trump not to approve the sale, after Trump indicated he was considering reversing restrictions imposed during his first term. “The sale of America’s most advanced fighter aircraft ‘doesn’t make Turkey a friendly state to the United States’,” Netanyahu told CNN.

Referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said Ankara is “a regime that’s infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States.” “He’s not exactly a model ally of the United States,” Netanyahu said. “He threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state,” he added, as reported by CNN.

Netanyahu further warned that supplying the aircraft to Turkey would have wider regional consequences. He added that he urged Trump directly not to sell the fighter jets to Turkey, as doing so would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East.”

This came after Trump said that his administration will soon decide whether to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey despite a congressional ban, while also announcing that sanctions imposed over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system would be lifted, CNN reported.

“We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” Trump said, arguing that many believe Turkey should be allowed to purchase the F-35 despite its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 system. Calling the F-35 “the best plane by far”, Trump said the proposed sale was “certainly something we will consider.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had indicated that Ankara believes it is close to securing a deal to purchase US-made F-35 fighter jets and American-made engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter aircraft, CNN reported. (ANI)