WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after the Turkish government ratified Sweden's NATO membership this week. The move is an important development in the expansion of the alliance, which has become even more important since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department notified Congress late Friday of its approval of a $23 billion sale of F-16s to Turkey and a concomitant $8.6 billion sale of state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets to Greece. The move came just hours after Turkey deposited a “ratification instrument” for Sweden's NATO membership in Washington, the repository for alliance documents, and several leading members of parliament withdrew their opposition.
The sale to Turkey includes 40 new F-16 aircraft and equipment to modernize its existing 79 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 Sweden's ratification of membership was conditional on approval for sales of the new aircraft. The Biden administration supported the sale, but several members of Congress had expressed opposition over human rights concerns.
NATO member Turkey accuses Western countries of 'barbarism' and 'Islamophobia' over support for Israelhttps://t.co/tkcb5z44Oj
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 9, 2023
Opposition from Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has now been overcome, officials said. That's what it means.
Cardin said in a statement Friday that he still had concerns about Turkey's rights record, but agreed to the sale based on Turkey's promise to improve its rights record. “We look forward to starting a new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance, and working with our allies around the world to confront Russia's continued aggression against our peaceful neighbors,” he said. .
Turkey has delayed Sweden's admission to NATO for more than a year, ostensibly because Sweden has been involved in Turkey's wars, including the fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Turkey views as a security threat. They believed that national security concerns were not taken seriously enough.
The delay irritated the United States and other NATO allies, almost all of whom are now aligned with both Sweden and Finland after the Nordic countries abandoned their longstanding military neutrality in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. was quickly accepted to participate.
Sweden's formal membership in NATO currently depends on Hungary, the last remaining NATO ally, which has not recognized NATO membership. U.S. and NATO officials said they expected Hungary to act quickly, especially after Turkey's decision.
