Turkey warns US sanctions may force it to seek alternative defence partners 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that US sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (‘CAATSA’) are pushing Ankara to seek alternative defence partnerships, calling the restrictions between two NATO allies a major hurdle.

‘Having a legal restriction that prevents two NATO allies from purchasing from each other is, systemically, a very big problem for us,’ Fidan said at a press conference in Turkish on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.  ‘The systematic limitations present in our relations with the United States inevitably drive us to explore alternative partnerships.’ 

Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey’s defence procurement agency in December 2020 in the final weeks of the first Trump administration, after Ankara acquired Russian S-400 air defence systems, leading to Turkey’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet programme.

Fidan said critical defense programmes remain stalled, with engine licences for Turkey’s domestically produced KAAN fighter jets ‘currently stuck in Congress’.

‘Those licences need to be activated and the engines have to arrive so that KAAN production can begin,’ he said, emphasising the cascading effect of the restrictions on Turkey’s defense modernisation efforts.

The foreign minister stressed that while Turkey is developing indigenous capabilities, ‘no country is entirely self-sufficient with only the capabilities it develops itself’, noting the importance of operating within an alliance structure and defence-industrial ecosystem.

Turkey has been seeking restoration of F-35 programme participation and delivery of six jets originally built for Turkish forces but withheld since 2019. The country previously indicated willingness to purchase billions in US military equipment if sanctions are lifted.

The comments signal growing Turkish frustration with restrictions that have disrupted decades of NATO defence cooperation and suggest Ankara may accelerate partnerships with non-US suppliers if the CAATSA issue remains unresolved.

‘There can be no restrictions. CAATSA must be out of the way,’ he stressed.