US: F-35 delivery to Turkey depends on S-400 resolution

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Turkey cannot receive F-35 fighter jets until the issue regarding its S-400 missile systems is resolved. During a visit to Athens, Rubio explained that legal restrictions within the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the U.S. Congress prevent the transfer of these aircraft to Turkey as long as the S-400 matter remains unsettled.

While Rubio noted that various options exist to resolve the situation, no conclusion has been reached. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated that discussions are underway regarding the possibility of transferring Turkey's S-400 systems to another country. This follows comments from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who suggested Moscow might approve such a transfer if the recipient country maintains friendly relations with Russia and handles the systems' maintenance.

Additionally, Rubio emphasized that the United States will not allow disputes between Turkey and Greece over the Aegean Sea or Cyprus to escalate, noting that both nations are NATO allies and that tension between them would not serve the interests of any party involved.