US president Donald Trump on Monday brushed aside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reported opposition to the possible sale of American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, asserting that decisions on US arms sales are made solely by Washington.
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Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said no foreign leader influences US defence policy and described Turkey as a "tremendous ally."
"Nobody tells me what we should be selling," said the US president. "Turkey has been a tremendous ally for me."
Trump had said his administration would soon decide whether to proceed with the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey despite a congressional ban, while also announcing plans to lift sanctions imposed on Ankara over its purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system, CNN reported.
"We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal," Trump said, arguing that Ankara should be allowed to purchase the F-35 fighter jets despite its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that Ankara believes it is close to finalising a deal with Washington for the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets, along with American-made engines for Turkey's indigenous KAAN fighter aircraft.
Netanyahu is currently on a visit to Washington and is scheduled to have high-level talks with Trump with regional security and the Iran conflict on agenda.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced strong opposition to the potential sale of US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, warning that such a move could alter the regional balance of power, CNN reported.
Netanyahu said he had personally urged Trump not to approve the sale after Trump indicated he was considering lifting the restrictions imposed during his first term.
"The sale of America's most advanced fighter aircraft 'doesn't make Turkey a friendly state to the United States,'" Netanyahu told an CNN in an interview.
"He's not exactly a model ally of the United States," Netanyahu said. "He threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state," he added.
Referring to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu said Ankara is "a regime that's infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States." He warned that supplying F-35 fighter jets to Turkey would have far-reaching consequences for the region.
Netanyahu added that he had personally urged Trump not to approve the sale, arguing that doing so would "destroy the power balance in the Middle East."
