RAPTAKIS AND PAPPAS CALLS ON RI and MN CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO REJECT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S LATEST EFFORT TO PROPOSE SALE OF F-35s TO TURKEY

RI and MN legislators want to halt sale of new fighter jets to Turkish dictator, saying step would reward Erdogan regime for acting as a chaos agent in Middle East and Mediterranean

(COVENTRY, RI 7/9/26) On the eve of a NATO summit, President Trump held a bilateral meeting with the President of Turkey and again raised the prospect of selling new F-35s to the Erdogan regime, despite Congressional opposition to the move and legislation that bars the sale while Turkey possesses the Russian S-400 air defense system, which could give Russians a window into how to take down F-35s.

In response to this concern, State Senator Leonidas Raptakis D-RI and State Senator Sandy Pappas D-Minnesota are calling on Rhode Island’s and Minnesota’s Congressional delegation to oppose any effort by President Trump to reward the Erdogan regime with the new jets. He noted that while Erdogan appealed to President Trump by arranging a welcome in Turkey that involved Ottoman warriors in suits of armor and fighter jets, his regime has not been a reliable ally.

“The Erdogan regime has been happy to play the role of chaos agent in the Eastern Mediterranean, threatening Greece, Cyprus and Israel and provoking conflict, all while running multiple threats in the Eastern Mediterranean undermining U.S. security interests,” said Raptakis and Pappas . “In the last few weeks, the Erdogan regime has ramped up its rhetoric in challenging Israel, issuing periodic threats and further fanning the flames of chaos and confusion.”

“The last thing we should be doing is rewarding this reckless and dangerous behavior with new F-35s for Turkey’s air fleet.”

In calling on Senators Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Congressman Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner to stand against the sale, Raptakis and Pappas said Congress was right to draw a line in the sand by barring any F-35 sales to Turkey while the regime was using the Russian air defense system. He called on the delegation to continue to support America’s allies in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Raptakis and Pappas concluded, “At this point in time, the move to sell new American F-35s to Turkey would significantly undermine the long-standing US-Cyprus-Greece-Israel Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, weakening that vital strategic partnership and encouraging the territorial ambitions of the Erdogan regime.”