The UAE paused F-35 talks. Washington still wanted the operating terms.

The United Arab Emirates had a possible F-35 sale. It did not yet have terms it was willing to accept.

On 14 December 2021, a UAE official told Reuters that Abu Dhabi had informed Washington it would suspend discussions over acquiring F-35 fighter jets. The package was reported at $23 billion and also included drones and advanced munitions. The UAE official said, “Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment.”

The proposed sale covered 50 Lockheed Martin F-35s, up to 18 armed drones and other equipment. The aircraft were not in Emirati service, and the report did not describe a completed delivery schedule. The case concerns negotiations over access and conditions, not a fleet that had been grounded.

The disagreement had several layers. Washington had concerns about Abu Dhabi’s relationship with China, including its use of Huawei 5G technology. People briefed on the negotiations said that, for months, the two sides had also disagreed over how the stealth aircraft could be deployed and how much of its technology the UAE would be permitted to use. Those accounts describe the issues in the talks. They do not establish that either side had accepted a final list of conditions.

The UAE’s statement left the door open. The official said the United States remained the UAE’s preferred provider for advanced defence requirements and that F-35 discussions might be reopened. The official also said the two governments were discussing the security conditions for an acquisition. Suspension was therefore the documented action. Permanent withdrawal was not.

The US position was similarly qualified. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the partnership with the UAE was broader and more complex than a weapons sale. He said Washington would insist on end-use requirements as a matter of law and policy. A State Department official said the administration remained committed to the proposed F-35, MQ-9B and munitions sales and hoped to work through outstanding issues.

Those statements expose the control point. The UAE could decide whether to continue negotiating. The United States could decide whether the proposed arrangement met its statutory and policy requirements. Neither government had to describe the disagreement as a veto for the conditions to stop progress.

The F-35 is also not a normal catalogue item. It combines a platform with sensitive software, mission systems, maintenance arrangements and restrictions on use and access. The report does not give the precise wording of the end-use terms, and it does not establish which UAE request conflicted with which US condition. It is enough to say that operating rules and protection of technology were part of the negotiation.