- US President Donald Trump dismissed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to selling F-35 jets to Turkey
- Trump praised Turkey as a powerful ally with a strong military and great equipment
- Netanyahu urged Trump not to approve the F-35 sale due to regional security concerns
US President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to the United States selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and said that nobody tells him about what the US should be selling.
He then praised Turkey and said that they have been a "tremendous" ally for the United States.
"Nobody tells me what we should be selling," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "Turkey has been a tremendous ally for me."
He proceeded to speak highly about Turkey and called it a "very powerful country" and said that it had a "tremendous military, very big military, very powerful, has a lot of great equipment".
The Republican leader said that Turkey is "not a big fan" of either Israel or Netanyahu but "they've been great for me".
Netanyahu's Objection To F-35 Sale
Trump's remarks on Netanyahu came as Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday for high-level talks with Trump, placing regional security and the confrontation with Iran at the top of the bilateral agenda.
In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said that he had urged Trump not to approve the sale after Trump indicated he was considering reversing restrictions imposed during his first term.
He added that the sale of America's F-35 jets, the most advanced fighter aircraft, does not make Turkey a friendly state to the United States.
Netanyahu then referred to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said that he is not a "model ally" of the United States.
"He threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state," he added.
The Israeli PM also said that Ankara is "a regime that's infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States".
He said that the US supplying aircraft to Turkey would have wider regional consequences and told the news channel that he urged Trump not to sell the jets to Turkey, as it would "destroy the power balance in the Middle East".
This came after Trump said that his administration will soon decide whether to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey despite a congressional ban, while also announcing that sanctions imposed over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system would be lifted, CNN reported.
Calling the F-35 "the best plane by far", Trump said the proposed sale was "certainly something we will consider."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had indicated that Ankara believes it is close to securing a deal to purchase US-made F-35 fighter jets and American-made engines for Turkey's indigenous KAAN fighter aircraft, CNN reported.
