US President Donald Trump on Monday pushed back against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, saying no one could dictate what Washington should sell to its allies.

“Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He defended Türkiye, calling it a “tremendous ally” and praised Ankara’s role in regional matters, including Syria.

Trump acknowledged that Türkiye is “not a big fan” of Israel or Netanyahu, but said the relationship between Washington and Ankara remained strong.

“Turkey has been a tremendous ally,” Trump said. “They have done a very good job in many areas.”

The remarks came after Netanyahu had warned that supplying Türkiye with advanced F-35 stealth fighters could change the balance of power in the Middle East.

Netanyahu has strongly opposed the possible return of Türkiye to the F-35 programme, arguing that the move could increase regional tensions.

In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu had said the sale would “destroy” the balance of power in the Middle East, claiming Türkiye had “aggressive aspirations”.

“When you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression in its wake,” Netanyahu said.

Türkiye was removed from the F-35 programme in 2019 during Trump’s first term after Ankara purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defence system.

Earlier this month, during the NATO summit in Türkiye, Trump signalled that he was willing to lift US sanctions imposed over the S-400 purchase and suggested that Ankara could eventually receive F-35 jets.