The U.S. State Department is once again discussing the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye with Senator Bob Menendez, the chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to the Russian news outlet Sputnik, which cited U.S. media reports.
The report suggests that this sale could be used as a bargaining tool to expedite Sweden's entry into NATO.
The Biden administration is reportedly in favor of the $20 billion sale of F-16 fighters to Ankara and has informally informed Congress about this intention. However, Menendez and the leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee have the authority to delay major weapons sales during the review process.
The Biden administration wants to ensure that Menendez does not obstruct the F-16 sale to Türkiye, which is contingent upon Ankara’s approval of Sweden's NATO membership.
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. Technical talks between the two sides recently concluded.
The Biden administration has said it supports the sale and has been in touch for months with Congress on an informal basis to win its approval. However, it has failed so far to secure a green light.
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 and Türkiye’s removal from the next-generation F-35 fighter jet program.
Some members of the U.S. Congress objected to the sale, tying its approval to the ratification of NATO membership for Sweden and Finland.
Türkiye repeatedly said the request and Sweden’s and Finland's NATO bids are not linked.
Although Türkiye approved Finland's membership to NATO, it is still waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed last June in Madrid to address Ankara’s security concerns.
In May 2022, Sweden and Finland submitted their applications for NATO membership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, their bids were initially rejected by Türkiye due to Stockholm and Helsinki backing PKK terrorists.
Cracking down on extremist groups and approving the extraditions of dozens of suspects linked to the PKK, as well as a failed 2016 coup attempt by members of the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ) who find shelter in the country, have been key demands from Türkiye to approve their bids.
In April, all 30 members of the alliance approved Finland's application for NATO membership. However, Sweden's application is still awaiting approval from Hungary and Türkiye.
Terrorist propaganda, as well as the burning of Islam’s holy book outside Türkiye’s Embassy in Stockholm in January, which sparked condemnation in the Islamic world, leading to weeks of protests, and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, have contributed to Sweden’s long-spun process.
The most recent incident happened last week, coinciding with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, where a protest involving the burning of a Quran took place outside the main mosque in Stockholm.