Biden pushes for F-16 sales to Türkiye following Erdogan’s NATO expansion approval

President Biden sends letter to Congress for F-16 sales to Türkiye as Erdogan accepts Sweden’s NATO membership

President Joe Biden Wednesday sent letters to the leaders of Congress outlining plans to begin the formal process of selling Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Türkiye, once Ankara finalizes Sweden’s admission to NATO.

Biden wrote to the senior Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urging swift congressional approval of the sale, a U.S. officials said, according to Reuters.

Also on Wednesday, the White House sent a letter to Congress advocating for the $20 billion sale of F-16s and related modernization kits to Türkiye, as disclosed by four people familiar with the letter. The development comes after Türkiye’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership application on Tuesday, ending a 20-month delay.

Türkiye’s ratification was a critical factor for the U.S. Congress, which had delayed the fighter jet sale pending Turkiye’s approval of Sweden’s NATO bid, also requiring President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s agreement.

According to sources, the Biden administration has not yet formally notified Congress of the proposed sale.

Erdogan has conditioned Türkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s application on the U.S. Congress simultaneously approving Ankara’s request for 40 F-16 fighter jets and spare parts.

Despite the U.S. administration’s commitment to proceed with the sale, it has encountered resistance from Congress.

Last month, Erdogan discussed his demands in a phone call with Biden, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan communicated to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Türkiye expects the U.S. government and Congress to act in the spirit of the alliance and fulfill commitments regarding the F-16s.

Sweden, along with Finland, sought NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finland joined the alliance last year, but Sweden’s application was delayed, mainly due to objections from Türkiye and Hungary.

NATO requires unanimous consent from all member states for a country to join the alliance.

Source: Newsroom

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