During a NATO summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the United States would remove penalties imposed on Turkey for purchasing a Russian air defense system. Those sanctions, enacted under a U.S. law targeting foreign adversaries, had led to Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program. Trump stated that Cabinet officials were handling the matter. Lifting the penalties would ease Turkey's potential return to the F-35 project, a key objective for Erdogan. The announcement came as NATO unveiled billions in new military contracts and surveillance aircraft deals. Trump has long predicted he would remove the sanctions.