President Donald Trump is rolling out the purple carpet for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the White Home on Thursday — a victory for the autocrat, who spent years unsuccessfully begging for an viewers with then-President Joe Biden.
Erdogan is lastly getting his second, however make no mistake: He isn’t coming to Washington for well mannered handshakes and photo-ops.
He’s coming with a buying listing — and topping it’s America’s crown jewel fighter jet, the F-35.
However US legislation bans him from getting it. And Trump should slam the door shut.
Again in 2019, Turkey spat in Trump’s face when it purchased Russia’s S-400 air and missile protection system.
The Kremlin designed these missiles to trace and shoot down the very F-35s Erdogan now needs.
Washington warned him, Congress begged him, NATO allies pleaded with him.
Erdogan ignored everybody, hugged Moscow and proudly rolled out his shiny new Russian toys.
The penalty was clear and swift: Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program.
That December, Congress handed into US legislation Part 1245 of the 2020 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act, which explicitly forbids the switch of F-35s or associated tech to Ankara. That legislation stays in impact.
Now, six years later, Erdogan is hoping to appeal or bully Trump into trying the opposite means.
His pitch? Russia is operating low on missiles due to its disastrous battle in Ukraine, and desires its S-400s again.
Erdogan proposes returning them — and waltzing again into the F-35 membership in change.
Good strive.
Even when Erdogan dumps his Russian weapons, America shouldn’t reward his double-dealing.
Let’s be blunt. Promoting Erdogan our most superior fighter jet would imply arming a state sponsor of terrorism.
He’s not some misunderstood ally gone astray, however an Islamist strongman who bankrolls and shelters Hamas.
After Hamas’ blood-soaked Oct 7 bloodbath of Israelis, Individuals and others — the worst single-day slaughter of Jews because the Holocaust — Erdogan didn’t recoil in disgust. He embraced Hamas even tighter.
His regime handed Turkish passports and secure havens to Hamas leaders like Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal.
When Haniyeh was killed in Tehran final summer time, Erdogan declared a nationwide day of mourning and lowered flags at Turkish embassies all over the world — together with in Tel Aviv.
That isn’t the act of an ally. That’s the habits of an enemy hiding behind NATO membership.
Furthermore, if given the F-35, Erdogan might use these extremely superior jets to menace US allies in Europe and the Mediterranean.
He has already rattled sabers at Greece, one other NATO member, by pushing his so-called “Blue Homeland” doctrine — an aggressive scheme to grab Greek waters and islands acknowledged by worldwide legislation.
In latest months he has threatened Athens with ballistic missiles and demanded Greece demilitarize its personal islands. Think about what he might do with a fleet of stealth jets.
Cyprus is one other sufferer: Turkey nonetheless illegally occupies a 3rd of the island, and this 12 months Ankara even threatened Nicosia with “harmful penalties” after it bought Israeli air protection programs.
Erdogan shopping for Russian missiles was unhealthy sufficient — threatening to punish neighbors for getting Israeli ones exhibits the depths of his hypocrisy.
After which there’s Syria. Since 2016, Turkey has launched three invasions aimed squarely on the Syrian Democratic Forces, America’s most loyal and efficient accomplice within the battle in opposition to ISIS.
Simply this month, Ankara threatened the SDF with contemporary assaults — so handing Erdogan F-35s would put US companions in Syria squarely in his crosshairs.
Erdogan’s apologists wish to say Turkey was as soon as an essential ally. True.
However that Turkey is gone.
Underneath Erdogan’s Islamist rule, Ankara is a destabilizing drive — cozy with Hamas, flirtatious with Moscow and aggressive towards America’s actual allies.
Trump should not fall for Erdogan’s bait-and-switch.
The F-35 isn’t simply one other aircraft: It’s the world’s most superior stealth fighter, a weapon designed to maintain America and its mates one step forward of China, Russia and Iran.
Giving that edge to a pacesetter who praises terrorists, bullies allies and performs footsie with Moscow can be a betrayal of US pursuits.
The legislation is evident. The stakes are larger. And Erdogan’s document speaks for itself.
So when Erdogan sits throughout from Trump within the Oval Workplace and slides over his listing of calls for, the president’s solely reply ought to be a blunt one: No.
Sinan Ciddi is director of the Turkey program on the Basis for Protection of Democracies, the place William Doran is an intern.
