S-400 missile system

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has said the possibility of the United States selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye could be on the table again.

"When the Americans saw that we could produce the [indigenous] Kaan aircraft, their thoughts changed a little. They state that they can give F-35s," Güler said in remarks to lawmakers on Nov. 26.

The appeal by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for the lifting of US CAATSA sanctions in a recent TV interview highlighted the difficulties of US-Turkish relations and the implicit but clear admission that Washington and Ankara are looking for a formula that would under certain conditions allow even the return of Turkey to the F-35 program.

Turkish Defense Ministry sources have neither confirmed nor denied a recent report in Kathimerini that said Turkey and the US are planning to stockpile Russian-made S-400s, with the aim of lifting CAATSA sanctions and returning Turkey to the F-35 procurement program.

Turkey was thrown out of the F-35 combat aircraft program because of its actions which embraced Russia and were antithetical to NATO. The US drew a clear line in the sand by removing Turkey and cancelling their orders of aircraft.

Turkey's effort to get CAATSA sanctions lifted to pave the way for its acquisition of F-35 fighter jets from the United States was confirmed by its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his speech in New York and by his foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in an interview last week to the state-run Anadolu Agency in which he referred to a quest for a "creative formula" on the issue.

A massive explosion was caused by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack on a seemingly “invulnerable” weapons warehouse in Russia, with a smoke-mushroom rising above the area.

The explosions occurred in two missile and ammunition warehouses, 235 miles west of Moscow, causing incalculable damage.

Turkey is seeking a solution to re-enter the American F-35 fighter jet program after being kicked out over its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile system. To this end, Ankara is pushing for the inclusion of an amendment in the 2025 US defense budget (NDAA) that would allow it to avoid sanctions over the S-400.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have dealt a severe blow to Russian military installations in the temporarily occupied Crimea peninsula. Reports indicate that the strikes targeted the airport in the city of Dzhankoi, a key hub from which Russian invaders have been launching missiles towards Odesa.

The US still has problems with selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey due to its deployment of the S-400 Russian-made air defense system on Friday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday.