The White House notified Congress of its intention to supply Turkey with engines for KAAN aircraft worth $700 million

“The US Government is prepared to license the export of these items, taking into account political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations,” the State Department said in a June 24 notice to Congress.

The deal is an important gesture to Ankara ahead of a key NATO summit there next month and to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump considers a key ally.

Congress has 15 days to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval if it wants to block the deal. Such a resolution must be passed by both houses and can be overridden by a presidential veto by Trump.

The engines, produced by General Electric, will power Turkey’s first domestically produced KAAN combat aircraft. Turkey has been frustrated by previous inconsistent relations with the West and some arms embargoes, although Turkish officials acknowledge it will be years before KAAN replaces the US F-16s that form the backbone of its air force.

Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of Russian air defense systems soured relations with the United States and made Ankara’s support in Congress more difficult. In response, Washington imposed sanctions and excluded Turkey from the F-35 fighter program.

Congress also passed legislation banning any F-35 sales to Turkey as long as Ankara remains the owner of the S-400, saying the Russian systems pose a safety risk to American-made combat aircraft. It has remained a major point of tension between the two countries ever since, even as Turkey enjoys warmer relations with Washington under Trump.