The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. The move is a significant development in the expansion of the alliance, which has taken on additional importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Quick Read
- Approval of F-16 Sale to Turkey: The Biden administration has approved a $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, following Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership.
- F-35 Sale to Greece: Alongside the sale to Turkey, the administration also approved an $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece.
- NATO Expansion: Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership is a crucial step in the expansion of the alliance, particularly in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Congressional Notification: The State Department notified Congress of these military sales late Friday, shortly after Turkey’s formal commitment to Sweden’s NATO accession.
- Turkey’s Long-standing Request: Turkey has been seeking to upgrade its F-16 fleet and tied the approval of the new planes to its support for Sweden’s NATO membership.
- Human Rights Concerns: Some U.S. lawmakers had previously objected to the sale to Turkey due to human rights issues but have now lifted their objections based on Turkey’s commitments to address these concerns.
- Statements from Senators: Senators Ben Cardin and Jim Risch expressed that their concerns were addressed, allowing the sale to proceed, emphasizing the importance of expanding NATO and standing against Russian aggression.
- Sweden’s NATO Membership: Turkey had delayed Sweden’s NATO accession, citing national security concerns. With Turkey’s approval, Sweden’s membership now awaits Hungary’s ratification.
- Hungary’s Pending Approval: Hungary remains the last NATO ally to ratify Sweden’s membership, with expectations for a swift decision following Turkey’s move.
The Associated Press has the story:
US approves F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey and F-35s to Greece
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. The move is a significant development in the expansion of the alliance, which has taken on additional importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday. The move came just hours after Turkey deposited its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden’s accession to NATO with Washington, which is the repository for alliance documents and after several key members of Congress lifted their objections.
The sale to Turkey includes 40 new F-16s and equipment to modernize 79 of its existing F-16 fleet. The sale to Greece includes 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment.
NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns.
Those objections, including from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, have now been overcome, officials said.
Cardin said in statement Friday that he had still had concerns about Turkey’s rights record, but had agreed to the sale based on commitments Turkey has made to improve it. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance, and working with our global allies in standing up to ongoing Russian aggression against its peaceful neighbors,” he said.
Turkey had delayed its approval of Sweden’s NATO membership for more than a year, ostensibly because it believed Sweden did not take Turkey’s national security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats.
The delays had frustrated the U.S, and other NATO allies, almost all of whom had been swift to accept both Sweden and Finland into the alliance after the Nordic states dropped their longstanding military neutrality following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Sweden’s formal accession to NATO now depends on Hungary, which is the last remaining NATO ally not to have approved its membership. US and NATO officials have said they expect Hungary to act quickly, especially after Turkey’s decision.
