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President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled reluctance to punish Turkey over its acquisition of a Russian air defense system, saying it was "not fair" that the United States would now be prohibited from selling Ankara billions of dollars worth of F-35 stealth fighter jets.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he sees an improvement in talks with the United States over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems and US F-35 fighter jets, but added that Ankara was also preparing for potential US sanctions.

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Tuesday that he wanted NATO ally Turkey to remain in the F-35 fighter jet program, but added that Ankara needed to buy the Patriot missile defense system.

At a House of Representatives Armed Services Committee hearing, Shanahan was asked whether the United States wanted Turkey in the F-35 program.

Senior Turkish officials have differed over whether the planned new-long range missiles will be compatible with NATO systems, with a presidential spokesperson correcting the defense minister Feb. 23, stressing that these systems will surely be integrated with the alliance's defense structure.

Turkey has again extended by two months the deadline for bids for a multi-billion dollar anti-missile defense system tender, despite having provisionally awarded the deal to China, a Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News.