The Biden administration has given its approval for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, following Ankara’s decision to drop its opposition to Sweden’s bid for NATO membership. The announcement was made by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Sullivan confirmed that President Biden had agreed to move forward with the arms deal and would work closely with Congress to finalize the transfer. He emphasized that there were no caveats or conditions attached to the sale of the fighter jets to Türkiye.
This decision comes after Ankara had previously blocked Sweden’s and Finland’s bids to join NATO. A group of US senators had threatened to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye unless Ankara approved the membership of these Nordic countries in the US-led military alliance. Finland became a NATO member in April, but Sweden’s bid was still pending.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday, where they reached an agreement to support Sweden’s application to join NATO. Erdogan had previously vetoed Sweden’s membership, citing concerns over the country’s alleged support for Kurdish groups that Ankara considered to be terrorist organizations.
While Ankara’s change of position led to the approval of the fighter jet sale, some US lawmakers remain skeptical. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, expressed the need for Turkey to cease its aggression against its neighbors. He also raised concerns about Turkish human rights issues and Ankara’s overflights through Greek airspace.
Menendez stressed the importance of ensuring that the F-16 fighter jets would not be used in a belligerent manner against other NATO allies, particularly Greece. He called for reassurances from Türkiye that the warplanes would not be used provocatively.
The sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye had been a contentious issue since 2019 when the US removed Türkiye from the program to purchase F-35 fighter jets due to Ankara’s acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. However, in October 2021, Ankara requested US approval for a $20 billion purchase, which included new F-16 fighters from Lockheed Martin and modernization kits for its existing warplanes.
With the Biden administration’s approval and Ankara’s support for Sweden’s NATO bid, the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye is set to proceed. The decision will now go through the necessary channels of consultation and approval in Congress.
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