US President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions off Türkiye and make a decision on a potential sale of F-35s to Ankara as he began a meeting on Tuesday with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at a Nato summit.

"We're going to be taking the sanctions off," Trump told reporters when asked about the measures imposed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

In 2020, Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Türkiye over its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems. It also removed Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet programme, a move Türkiye called unjust and illegal.

Trump was expected to throw his support behind the potential sale of F-35s during the visit to Ankara, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, even as legal and congressional hurdles have yet to be fully resolved.

"It's a decision we're going to make," Trump said. He said he and Erdogan would also discuss trade.

Trump also said he was "very disappointed" by the response of Nato allies in Europe to his war with Iran.

"I was very disappointed with Nato," Trump told journalists as he met Erdogan.

"We didn't need any help at all, and in a way, I was testing people, I was testing to see whether or not they'd be there, because I've long said that we helped them, but I'm not sure that they'd be there for us." (Reuters/AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam