Turkey F-35 sale

Where things stand

Trump has now repeated his support for selling F-35s to Turkey despite Israeli opposition, Al Jazeera reports. Still nothing agreed: reversing Ankara's exclusion from the programme over its Russian air defences awaits a formal US decision.

Turkey was a partner in the US-led F-35 programme before its purchase of Russian air defence systems, after which Washington held a position against supplying the aircraft to Ankara, according to Daily Sabah's account of the dispute. The jets have since become a recurring point of friction between the two NATO members. Israel, which operates the F-35 in the region, is reported to oppose extending the aircraft to Turkey. Any reversal would require the US administration to unwind a policy that has stood for years, so statements of support from the president are a signal of intent rather than a completed decision.