Türkiye may turn to other countries such as Russia if the United States fails to follow through on its promise to deliver F-16 fighter jets, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday.
A bill recently approved by American lawmakers created a new hurdle for any purchase by Türkiye, which has been voicing its firm opposition to any conditions on the sale of the Lockheed Martin-made F-16s.
The House of Representatives in July approved legislation that would bar the sale to Ankara unless the Biden administration certifies that doing so is essential to U.S. national security. It also includes a description of concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for "unauthorized overflights" of Greece.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said he would work to convince lawmakers to deliver the F-16 jets for Türkiye’s air force.
Erdoğan recalled that Biden told him in June that he "will extend all the support he can regarding F-16s."
Expressing hope for the U.S. to "not lead" Türkiye to "different tracks," Erdoğan said: "The U.S. is not the only one selling warplanes in the world. The U.K., France and Russia sell them as well."
"It’s possible to procure them from other places, and others are sending us signals," he told reporters after Friday prayers.
The Turkish leader’s remarks came ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Vladimir Putin at a regional summit in Uzbekistan next week.
Erdoğan has accused the West of staging "provocations" against Russia and blamed European sanctions for the continent’s energy crisis.
Türkiye, in October last year, made a request to buy 40 F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits to upgrade its aging fleet in what is estimated to be a $6 billion deal.
The process to finalize the defense bill, known as NDAA, is lengthy, and the Senate will also have to back similar language before it can be sent to Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Revisions to the bill in its current form are all but certain. However, the president can veto such legislation.
The sale of U.S. weapons to Türkiye became contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 defense missile systems. The deal triggered U.S. sanctions as well as Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program.