It has been—at least so far—particularly full of statements and declarations of intent— but will it also be productive for Turkey?

Time will tell whether the U.S. president’s intention to release the F-35s to Turkey will actually materialize —after all, Congress stands in the way, and it has the final say on lifting sanctions against Ankara.

If there was one thing that was immediately apparent, however, it was the exceptionally warm atmosphere between the U.S. president and the Turkish president and host of the summit, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Trump arrived in Ankara on the “interim” presidential aircraft, a gift from Qatar, until the new generation of Air Force One is completed.

SEE ALSO: Trump to Erdogan on the F-35: We’ll look into it; Turkey is loyal to the U.S.

The U.S. presidential aircraft Air Force One landed in Ankara. pic.twitter.com/8xDjqyPUpP

— Haber Report (@HaberReport) July 7, 2026

JUST IN: President Trump has just STEPPED OFF Air Force One in Turkey, greeted by a MASSIVE welcome party. He was immediately welcomed by President Erdogan as he stepped off the plane. Trump is in his element! pic.twitter.com/TGjiKijo4C

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 7, 2026

There, he was greeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, Emine. The Turkish leader immediately put his arm around Trump, although neither of them seemed to be walking very well.

“Merhaba asker” (hello, soldier), the American president even said, addressing the honor guard that welcomed him at the Ankara airport.

READ ALSO: The Cyprus Issue at the Ankara Summit? A First Look at NATO’s Agenda and the “Hot Topics”

Trump in Turkish:

Merhaba asker! pic.twitter.com/mPHHsCRoPT

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 7, 2026

The two leaders did not make any statements, apparently saving the big announcements for later.

Photos from the meeting between President Erdoğan and U.S. President Trump. #NATOsummit https://t.co/4CxpGguegS pic.twitter.com/Mr2xiEjQiH

— TRT HABER (@trthaber) July 7, 2026

If that means anything, Erdoğan walked arm-in-arm with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

In his remarks at the Presidential Palace, the U.S. president laid his cards on the table regarding the F-35s and Turkey’s return to the program.
““This is a decision we will make. We have very good relations. Everyone says, ‘Why shouldn’t we do this?’ Turkey is more loyal than most countries. It’s something we’re considering.” The F-35 is the best aircraft in the world, and we’ll take that into account,” he said.

Regarding the CAATSA sanctions, he said: “We’re going to lift the sanctions, okay? I don’t want to waste time answering that. We’re going to lift those sanctions. The time has come. We don’t want to impose sanctions on our friends. I don’t want to strangle my friend with sanctions.”

At another point, Trump, jumping from one topic to another, said: “As has been widely reported in the press, we are very close friends (with Erdogan). It’s wonderful to be welcomed by a building bearing my name as soon as I land at the airport. The airport is beautiful; all the roads are new. We’ve had a good relationship from the very beginning. It’s a very special relationship between us. Turkey has a very strong leader. It has strong military forces. It’s a very powerful country. Thanks to this relationship, everything is going well. I have great respect for the President. We will likely discuss Iran as well. We have largely destroyed its military. They will not acquire nuclear weapons. It is a great honor for me to be among you. We had a very good meeting. We enjoyed a nice dinner and worked hard.”

Besides, the American leader made it clear: he’s in Ankara solely because they’re “great friends.” He even reflected on it a bit: “You never know why a relationship is special; some people are meant to be in your life and others aren’t. Either you work with really tough people, or you can’t get along with weak people. We had that incident with the pastor, who was sentenced to a long prison term. I called the President, and he released him immediately. The Christian community will not forget him. That’s when I realized how good our chemistry was. There are also those with whom I don’t have good chemistry, and we get along with them somehow.”

He also had kind words for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—their relationship hasn’t been at its best lately.

“She’s a good person, really,” the U.S. president replied to a question posed by a reporter. He added, “I love her very much, but I think she made a mistake; she just wasn’t there for us, and I didn’t like that,” referring to Meloni’s refusal to support the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Erdogan explained, for his part, that “the F-35 is not a new issue for us; we have discussed it with the U.S. in the past and were promised five aircraft. Mr. Trump also gave us his word, and I know that in the discussions at this summit, we are looking favorably on the promise we received from them regarding the F-35. Mr. Trump always keeps his word on this matter. I believe a positive decision will be reached regarding the F-35.”

What Turkey Was Asking For

Ankara had a fairly long list of what it wanted to secure from the summit, in an effort to capitalize on the current situation and with the aim of fully normalizing U.S.-Turkish relations, as well as ensuring its unconditional participation in the major European Defense initiative.
Perhaps the top demand made of the U.S. was Turkey’s return to the F-35 program, with Trump sending the message that he wants to find a way to lift the sanctions against Ankara under CAATSA legislation due to its purchase and possession of the Russian S-400. However, U.S. law and Congress are obstacles that cannot be circumvented, so Trump’s statement is more of a public relations gesture than a practical one.

At the same time, Turkey wanted to ensure that France’s intention to approve the sale of the Franco-Italian-made SAMP/T missiles would be carried out. If the sale of the system to Turkey is confirmed, then the need to retain the S-400s will likely disappear, thereby immediately paving the way for a return to the F-35 program.

EU’s von der Leyen at the NATO Summit in Ankara:

Turkey has one of the largest armed forces within NATO, is of great importance, and has always played a key role in the alliance.

But also, of course, in our relationship with the European Union.

And as I said, if you only… pic.twitter.com/rZiuqOSJTY

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 7, 2026

For Turkey, the other major challenge is to open the door to its institutional—but unconditional and unrestricted—participation in the European Defense initiative and Europe’s rearmament (the SAFE program). Ankara hopes that this will establish the framework for a special relationship with the European Union, with Turkey serving as a provider of security and defense equipment.

Source: Protothema.gr