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Türkiye’s Erdogan to Discuss Ukraine War with NATO Chief

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024 (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024 (Reuters)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan to Discuss Ukraine War with NATO Chief

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024 (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024 (Reuters)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday during his visit to Ankara, a Turkish official said on Sunday.
Russia struck Ukraine with a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile on Thursday in response to Kyiv's use of US and British missiles against Russia, marking an escalation in the war that began when Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
NATO member Türkiye, which has condemned the Russian invasion, says it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and it has provided Kyiv with military support.
But Türkiye, a Black Sea neighbor of both Russia and Ukraine, also opposes Western sanctions against Moscow, with which it shares important defense, energy and tourism ties.
On Wednesday, Erdogan opposed a US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack inside Russia, saying it would further inflame the conflict, according to a readout shared by his office.
Moscow says that by giving the green light for Ukraine to fire Western missiles deep inside Russia, the US and its allies are entering into direct conflict with Russia. On Tuesday, Putin approved policy changes that lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons in response to an attack with conventional weapons.
During their talks on Monday, Erdogan and Rutte will also discuss the removal of defense procurement obstacles between NATO allies and the military alliance's joint fight against terrorism, the Turkish official said.

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Trump Says US will Lift Sanctions on Türkiye, Possibly Sell F-35 Fighter Jets

US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Trump Says US will Lift Sanctions on Türkiye, Possibly Sell F-35 Fighter Jets

US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Washington would lift US sanctions on Türkiye that were imposed in 2020 over Ankara's purchase of Russian defense missiles, while expressing a willingness to sell the fellow NATO ally F-35 fighter jets.

The move would be a massive gesture from Trump to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan whom he considers a close ally and would remove a major long-standing irritant in bilateral ties.

Even as Washington and Ankara have enjoyed warmer ties under Trump, Türkiye's 2019 acquisition of the Russian S-400 system has long been a sore point for both sides, Reuters reported.

In response to that purchase, Washington in 2020 imposed sanctions on a major Turkish defense company and removed Türkiye from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, where Ankara was also a production partner.

"We're going to be taking the sanctions off," Trump told reporters just before his meeting with Erdogan during a visit to Türkiye for a NATO summit. He added that his secretary of state and Treasury secretary were working on the issue.

Trump was also upbeat about the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Türkiye even as he did not say how exactly such a transaction would take place given the legal hurdles.

"Türkiye has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal. ... It's a great plane, it's the best, currently the best plane by far. And it's certainly something we will consider," Trump said.

Congress passed a law prohibiting any F-35 sales to Türkiye as long as Ankara retained the S-400s, saying the Russian system posed a security risk to US-made combat aircraft. Currently, the US law does not permit Türkiye to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program.

World

NATO to Launch Strategic Airlift Fleet of A400M, Rutte Says

FILED - 19 May 2026, Belgium, Brussels: FILE PHOTO - A flag with the NATO logo flies in the wind in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa
FILED - 19 May 2026, Belgium, Brussels: FILE PHOTO - A flag with the NATO logo flies in the wind in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa
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NATO to Launch Strategic Airlift Fleet of A400M, Rutte Says

FILED - 19 May 2026, Belgium, Brussels: FILE PHOTO - A flag with the NATO logo flies in the wind in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa
FILED - 19 May 2026, Belgium, Brussels: FILE PHOTO - A flag with the NATO logo flies in the wind in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa

NATO will launch a strategic airlift fleet of Airbus A400M transport planes and add one aircraft to its existing fleet of A330 MRTT tanker planes, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday. He was speaking at a defense industry gathering where allies unveiled arms deals worth billions of dollars to show they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe before joining President Donald Trump for the summit starting in the evening.

"It is about air power, which is essential to strengthen our deterrence and defense," Rutte said.

The MRTT project has nine A330s, which can double as troop or passenger aircraft, based at Eindhoven, Netherlands. By adding another tanker, the military alliance will move closer to plugging gaps left in its defense plans after the United States reduced its contributions.

NATO is seeking to expand the fleet to 12 in the longer run. Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden participate in the programme.

The US has not publicly disclosed details of its cuts, but they range from refuelling aircraft to fighters, drones and ships, according to figures provided by a military source.

Trump has long accused European governments of over-relying on the US to defend them through NATO.

Airbus, which builds both the A400M airlifter and the A330 jet on which the tanker is based, said the shared A400M fleet would involve Belgium, Britain, France, Spain, Türkiye, Croatia, and Poland.

The announcement is a boost for the A400M, which was designed to meet a European shortfall in military cargo and troop transport to rugged areas. Exports have been slow to materialise, leaving doubts over its long-term future.

Airbus earlier this year toned down earlier warnings to investors over the long-term future of A400M production.

The new pool would initially be drawn from aircraft already in operation and then others in the industrial pipeline. Finally, a spokesperson said, the operation may eventually lead to new orders though it was premature to speculate on how many or when.

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Kremlin Says Russia Will Follow NATO Summit Closely

People walk in Zaryadye Park near St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in central Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
People walk in Zaryadye Park near St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in central Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
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Kremlin Says Russia Will Follow NATO Summit Closely

People walk in Zaryadye Park near St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in central Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
People walk in Zaryadye Park near St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in central Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would closely monitor the outcome of the NATO summit in Türkiye, adding that a series of "confrontational" statements about Russia had preceded the event. NATO leaders are gathering in Ankara for meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid pressure from ‌US President Donald ‌Trump for Europe to step ‌up ⁠defense spending and ⁠following months of transatlantic friction over the Iran war and Greenland, Reuters said.

"This is an event that is of great interest, including to us. Of course, we will be monitoring all the news ⁠and information coming out of Ankara," Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov ‌told journalists.

He said a large number of ‌statements about Russia had been made ahead ‌of the summit. "To our regret, these were not statements about constructive engagement and dialogue, but rather statements of a confrontational nature," ‌he said, without giving further detail. On Monday, Trump said he would ⁠talk ⁠about the war in Ukraine at the summit and that a resolution to the more than four-year conflict was "getting closer than people realize."

Peskov said Russia hoped US "efforts to steer the entire situation onto a peaceful track (would) ultimately succeed. At the very least, we, as the Russian President has repeatedly said, remain open to this."