Ankara, Türkiye: The United States has approved the sale of F-16 military jets to Türkiye for a total of $23 billion. This sale follows Ankara’s decision to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, which Washington had been vigorously advocating.
The Biden administration announced the approval of the $23 billion deal for the sale of F-16 combat aircraft to Türkiye after Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership, according to the State Department.
As reported by The Guardian, the US State Department will now notify Congress of the agreement, as well as a separate sale of 40 F-35 fighters to Greece for $8.6 billion.
Türkiye will receive 40 new F-16 fighters and upgrade 79 aircraft from its existing fleet, the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency press release stated.
The US did not give the “green light” to the deal until Türkiye’s documents on ratifying Sweden’s membership arrived in Washington, an American official said, emphasizing the extremely delicate nature of the negotiations, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
The Turkish parliament ratified Sweden’s entry into NATO on Tuesday after more than a year of delays, which frustrated Western efforts to demonstrate resolve in the face of the conflict in Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially opposed Sweden’s NATO entry due to Stockholm’s alleged recognition of Kurdish groups, which Ankara considers “terrorist” organizations. For NATO membership, Sweden stepped on its principles by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and adopting other security measures, which Erdogan had stringently demanded.
Erdogan then turned to the unfulfilled US promise to deliver a batch of F-16 fighters, which faced resistance in Congress due to Türkiye’s alleged retreat from human rights and confrontation with another NATO member, Greece, The Guardian recalls.
Influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Democrat Ben Cardin, said on Friday that he would allow the sale of F-16s to Türkiye.
“My approval of Türkiye’s request to purchase F-16 aircrafts has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden’s Nato membership,” Senator Cardin said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made intensive diplomatic efforts to broker the deal, telling the Turkish president during a trip to Ankara immediately after the February 2023 earthquake that there would be no aircraft if Türkiye blocked Sweden’s NATO application, an American official said.
Senate International Relations Committee leaders and House Foreign Affairs Committees review every major foreign arms sale. They regularly raise questions or express concerns about human rights or diplomatic issues that could delay or stop such deals.
After the official notification by the State Department, Congress has 15 days to object to the sale, after which it is considered final.
US officials do not expect Congress to block any sale, despite criticism of Türkiye from some members.
Meanwhile, Athens has strongly opposed the sale due to unresolved territorial disputes with Türkiye in the energy-rich Mediterranean region, The Guardian reminds.
The US agreement with Türkiye initially depended on Athens not obstructing the sale, while Greece was offered more advanced F-35 fighters.
Türkiye’s aging air force would benefit from the new F-16s, having suffered from exclusion from the US-led joint strike fighter F-35 program in 2019 due to Erdogan’s decision to purchase an advanced Russian missile defense system.
Türkiye’s green light for Sweden’s NATO entry leaves Hungary as the last dissenting voice in the accession process, which Sweden and Finland began in response to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest on Tuesday to discuss the application, although there were hints of tension in relations between the two countries.
