Trump Rebuffs Netanyahu's Bid to Block F-35 Jet Deal with Turkey

US President Donald Trump has firmly rejected a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the planned sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey. The hardline stance was conveyed directly by Trump upon his arrival in Turkey on Tuesday (07/07/2026) to attend the NATO Summit. Trump stated he had no concerns whatsoever about reconsidering the sale of the fifth-generation fighter jets long coveted by Ankara. The move represents a significant diplomatic blow for Israel, given that Netanyahu had previously lobbied Trump aggressively through both private phone calls and international media broadcasts. Netanyahu accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of deliberately destabilising the Middle East by being vocal in opposing Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. The Israeli leader argued that his country’s air dominance and the US military posture in the region were an absolute guarantee for the balance of power in the Middle East. “I do not think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter jets, because that would upset the balance of power in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israel’s air superiority,” Netanyahu told Fox News on Monday (6/7/2026). “Turkey is a large country, but it is led by a man who openly calls for the annihilation of Israel,” Netanyahu added, explaining his objection. In response to the pressure, Trump instead praised Erdogan’s leadership in front of the media. Relations between Trump and Netanyahu have reportedly deteriorated in recent months, as Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon were seen as disrupting Washington’s peace talks with Iran. “I have no concerns about anything. I mean, he is the leader of a country that he has made a much better country, a much better country, a much stronger country,” Trump stated. Turkey’s Ministry of Defence reacted sharply, accusing Netanyahu of waging a systematic disinformation and propaganda campaign to divert global attention from international condemnation. US-Turkey relations regarding the F-35 programme had previously frozen in 2019 when Washington expelled Ankara from the programme for purchasing the S-400 missile defence system from Russia. “Netanyahu and his partners in crime deliberately distort every criticism directed at them and seek to divert attention through systematic propaganda efforts,” the Turkish Ministry of Defence said in an official release on Tuesday.