Turkey, US resume F-16 talks ahead of expected Trump-Erdogan meeting

ANKARA — Turkey and the United States have resumed talks over F-16 fighter jets, a person familiar with the discussions told Al-Monitor, ahead of an expected meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump in New York this week.

Speaking to reporters last week, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack signalled that Erdogan and Trump could meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. While there has been no official confirmation that the meeting will take place, Turkish and US officials are expected to meet in some capacity.

Erdogan arrived in New York early Monday and is set to address the General Assembly on Tuesday. He is also expected to hold meetings on the sidelines with several heads of state and government, including Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi.

Erdogan is accompanied by a large delegation including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, according to the Turkish presidency.