Türkiye’s top diplomat on Monday said Ankara would not buy U.S. F-16 fighter jets with preconditions and expressed his belief that the issue can be overcome if the Biden administration maintains a decisive stance.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made it clear that Türkiye objects to the sale of F-16 warplanes being tied to ratifying the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland, which must be agreed upon by all 30 members of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance. Only the parliaments of Türkiye and Hungary have yet to give consent.
"It would not be right or fair to make two independent issues – the two countries’ NATO membership and the purchase of F-16s – conditional on each other," Çavuşoğlu told a news conference alongside his American counterpart Anthony Blinken.
"It would not be possible for us to purchase the F-16s under these conditions."
Blinken arrived in Ankara after devastating earthquakes struck neighboring Syria on Feb. 6, leaving nearly 45,000 dead. It marked Blinken’s first trip to Türkiye since he was appointed two years ago.
NATO member Türkiye has been seeking to modernize its existing warplanes to update its air force and sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits from the U.S., a deal reportedly valued at $20 billion (TL 377.34 billion).
The request came instead of a refund for the $1.4 billion payment Türkiye had made for the next-generation F-35 fighter jets. The payment was issued before it was removed from the multinational program developing the aircraft over Ankara's decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air missile defense systems.
U.S. reaffirms pledge
Blinken on Monday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to delivering F-16 jets to Türkiye, saying it was "very important for ongoing NATO interoperability and in the national interest of the United States."
"The Biden administration strongly supports the package to upgrade the existing F-16s and provide new ones," he said. But Blinken added he could not provide a "formal timeline" for approval and delivery.
"The U.S. and Türkiye do not agree on every issue but it is a partnership that has withstood against challenges," he noted.
Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye expects support from the U.S. Congress to push through the deal for the jets. He added that they would like the Biden administration to send the formal notification for the F-16s to Congress.
Türkiye has been delaying Sweden and Finland’s admission to NATO, citing concerns over terrorism. Meanwhile, members of the U.S. Congress have tied approval of the F-16 deal to Ankara retracting its opposition to the NATO enlargement.
The Nordic countries dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defense pact after Russia invaded Ukraine.
They have since sought to win Türkiye's support.
Çavuşoğlu repeated Türkiye’s stance that it would be willing to approve Finland joining NATO before Sweden.
Ankara has complained about what it sees as Stockholm's tolerance of support for the PKK, which is considered a terrorist group by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union, its Syrian affiliate YPG and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is behind a 2016 failed coup attempt, as well as their sympathizers.
"Unfortunately PKK supporters are still present in Sweden," the top diplomat said. "They are recruiting people and financing terror acts and carrying out terror propaganda in Sweden ... because they don't want Sweden to become a NATO member."
More needed for NATO bid
While acknowledging that Sweden had made constitutional changes in a bid to satisfy Türkiye's demands, he said that more needed to be done to "convince our Parliament and people."
Blinken said the U.S. "strongly" supported Finland and Sweden's admission into NATO "as quickly as possible."
"We're confident that NATO will formally welcome them in soon," he said. "And when that happens, it will enhance the security of every NATO member, including the U.S., including Türkiye."
Ankara has vowed it might consider alternatives, including Russia if the U.S. fails to follow through on its promise to deliver the jets to the Turkish air force.
Türkiye had previously ordered more than 100 U.S. F-35 jets, but Washington removed Türkiye from the program in 2019 after it bought the S-400s. Türkiye has called the move unjust and demanded reimbursement for its $1.4 billion payment.
While Congress can block foreign arms sales, it has not previously mustered the two-thirds majorities in both chambers required to overcome a presidential veto.
Blinken was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later Monday. As well as the effects of the earthquake, they were expected to discuss the NATO bids of Sweden and Finland, and Russia's war in Ukraine.
No exports of items for Russia's war effort
Meanwhile, Çavuşoğlu on Monday said Türkiye was not exporting products that could be used in Russia's war effort, after U.S. warnings this month about exports of chemicals, microchips and other items.
"It is not true that we have exported to Russia products that can be used in the defense industry," he said. "We asked the U.S. to notify (us) if there are any violations on this issue."
Çavuşoğlu also said Ankara would not allow U.S. and European sanctions to be violated in or via Türkiye, and that the country is taking steps to prevent it.
A top U.S. Treasury official visited Turkish government and private sector officials earlier this month to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of goods that can be used by Moscow's defense industries.
Western nations applied export controls and sanctions after Moscow's invasion nearly a year ago. Supply channels have remained open from Hong Kong, Türkiye, and other trading hubs.
Ankara has balanced its good ties with both Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, held early talks between the two sides, and helped broker a deal for grain shipments from Ukraine.
Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye will act if a violation is detected, adding that the increase in the country's trade with Russia is largely due to Ankara's hefty gas and energy imports, which have tripled in cost.