US offers Turkey new deal on F-35 fighter jets, Patriot missiles after S-400 mishap
10:59, 24/09/2019, TuesdayU: Update: 11:01, 24/09/2019, Tuesday
Yeni Şafak
FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo
The U.S. verbally offered Turkey a new deal on the F-35 fighter jets, according to reports by Turkish media outlets.
U.S. envoy to Ankara David Satterfield conveyed the offer which allegedly also contains a trade deal package that will boost trade volume between the two allies to $100 billion and lower tariffs on steel and aluminum.
U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that he would like to get NATO ally Turkey back in a joint manufacturing program for F-35 fighter jets, from which it was expelled in July.
Washington removed Turkey from the joint F-35 program after Turkey accepted delivery of S-400 equipment in July. Ankara also aimed to purchase some of the jets but now says it could look elsewhere.
Graham said he and Erdogan discussed a possible free trade agreement. "Turkey is a very important ally, not just when it comes to Syria but for the whole region," he told reporters.
The U.S. is expected to send an official written offer to the Turkish government soon.