NATO

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter takes off during an air show at the Teknofest festival at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Sept. 17, 2019.

Analysis

Five ways Turkey could get back into US F-35 fighter jet program

As the US ambassador to Turkey emphasizes strict compliance with American law, Ankara faces a narrow set of options to regain access to the F-35 program.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 31: Members of the British Royal Navy walk near helicopters parked aboard HMS Prince of Wales, the navy's flagship aircraft carrier, during a public ship tour at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal on August 31, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. The aircraft carrier was opened to the public in connection with the UK Carrier Strike Group's (CSG) port call in Tokyo. The group has been in Japan since August 12 for joint training exercises. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Turkey deepens Europe defense ties with UK aircraft deal, German security talks

Turkey-European defense cooperation is deepening as Ankara finalizes a military transport deal with the UK and prepares for high-level defense talks with Germany.

OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel adapts, Turkey rises, Iran ruined: How 2 years of Gaza war reshaped Middle East

Turkey’s involvement worries Israel in Syria but also raises hopes for pressuring Hamas to agree to President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Activists and human rights defenders ride aboard a vessel departing from Tunisia's northern port of Bizerte on Sept. 14, 2025.

Turkey vows to support Gaza-bound flotilla, defying Israeli warnings

The Turkish Defense Ministry said its navy vessels and rescue units in the Eastern Mediterranean were monitoring the flotilla and would provide search-and-rescue support if needed.

Latest News

From F-35s to Ukraine: Erdogan-Trump talks signal reset, but sanctions obstacles remain

US President Donald Trump (L) greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) upon his arrival at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2025.

UK’s top spy uses farewell from Turkey to lure Russian recruits, sparks fury

Richard Moore

Analysis

As US steps back from Europe, Turkey eyes bigger role in NATO defense industry

People pose for photographs in front of a Turkish Hurjet at Turkey's 17th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) on July 24, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Will Spain’s exit from US F-35 program open the door for Turkey’s fighter fleet?

People look at a Turkish fighter jet on display at Turkey's 17th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul on July 25, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (C) takes an oath of office after his election win at the parliament in Ankara on June 3, 2023. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a third term as president on June 3, promising to serve "impartially" after winning a historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 6:37 pm

Turkey’s Erdogan initiates Sweden NATO ratification in parliament

It remains unclear how long the ratification process will take given the Turkish president’s recent airing of grievances against Stockholm and Washington.

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Turkey extends mandate for military operations in Syria, Iraq

The Turkish parliament’s extension of the mandate for another two years comes amid rising tensions between Turkey and the United States.

A view of the sign that reads "Caution: mines" on the beach on April 25, 2022, in Odesa, Ukraine.

Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria announce mechanism to clear mines in Black Sea

The joint mechanism between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania comes after the British government said Russia might use sea mines to deter Kyiv from exporting its grain.

A man walks close to a fire raging at the Zarba oil facility in al-Qahtaniyah in northeastern Syria close to the Turkish border on October 5, 2023. Turkish strikes on October 5 on the Kurdish-controlled region of Hasakeh in northeastern Syria hit a car, killing two people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, after Ankara had threatened raids in retaliation for a bomb attack. In another strike, "Turkish drones targeted a factory north of Hasakeh, injuring three workers", said Farhad Shami, the spok

US fails to deter Turkey's bombardment of Syria's Kurdish enclave

Turkey continued to bomb infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled region after a US F-16 shot down a drone that encroached within half a kilometer of a US base.

A security forces member looks on during the burial of one of three Kurdish counterterrorism officers killed the previous day in a strike by a drone that had reportedly originated in Turkey, in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on September 19, 2023. A senior military official in Baghdad said on September 19 that three members of the counterterrorism forces of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region were killed and three wounded in the strike on Arbat airfield, southeast of

Turkey expands crackdown, airstrikes against PKK as Erdogan lashes out at West

The Turkish Defense Ministry said 16 new targets, including caves, bunkers and warehouses in the northern Iraqi regions of Metina, Hakurk, Gara, Qandil and Assos, were destroyed in the strikes.

Police presence after the attack in Ankara, Turkey.

PKK claims bomb attack in Turkey’s capital that injured 2 police officers

The attack happened just as the parliament returned from recess and was expected to take on Sweden’s NATO bid.

.S. Sen. Robert Menendez spoke during the rally to commemorate the 1915 Turkish massacre of Armenians in Times Square April 26, 2015 in New York City. The rally marks 100 years since the Ottoman government began its systematic extermination of Armenian peoples from their homeland in what is present-day Turkey. (Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)

Turkey gloats at Menendez indictment but will it get F-16 jets?

Sen. Bob Menendez, a strong critic of Turkey who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been charged for allegedly receiving bribes via a scheme involving Egypt.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan returns to Turkey after securing thaw with Israel on US trip

Erdogan met with Netanyahu for the first time in New York, and is readying to visit Jerusalem as soon as next month.

SPENCER PLATT/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Erdogan's UNGA visit strained by Sweden's NATO delay, Turkey’s F-16s sale

President Erdogan’s visit to the United States is unlikely to overcome the current deadlock in the bilateral Turkey-US ties, but the Turkish leader is set to meet his Israeli and Greek counterparts in New York.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart following their talks in Moscow on August 31, 2023. (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Fidan: Turkey committed to 'understandings' on Sweden’s NATO bid

Fidan’s remarks came a few days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised question marks over his country’s pending ratification of the Sweden’s accession to NATO.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference after attending the G20 summit, in New Delhi on Sept. 10, 2023.

Turkey 'seriously upset' over Washington linking F-16 sales to Sweden’s NATO membership

Turkey's President Erdogan says approval of Sweden’s application was up to the Turkish parliament, not for him to decide individually.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană meets Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, Jerusalem, September 7, 2023.

NATO deputy visits Israel, emphasizes shared threats from Iran, Russia

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told Al-Monitor that he is optimistic the alliance will soon conclude a new four-year partnership framework with Israel.