U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel hailed Washington's relations with Türkiye, saying that the country values its partnership with NATO ally Ankara. Patel told reporters at a news conference that the U.S. and Türkiye "have long-standing and deep bilateral defense ties."
Regarding the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, Patel cited U.S. President Biden's remarks last June when he said Washington "should sell" F-16s to Türkiye. "However, when it comes to specific arms transfers, we declined to comment until there's a formal notification process with Congress," he added.
Patel's statements came as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is in the U.S. for talks on numerous issues.
The decades-old partnership between the two NATO allies, Türkiye and the U.S., has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past years over disagreements on many issues, including Syria and Ankara’s closer ties with Moscow. There are additional sources of strain for the two countries, including the U.S. support for the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of PKK terrorists; and the continued U.S. residency of FETÖ figures including its head Fethullah Gülen, who plotted the failed coup attempt against the Turkish government in 2016.
The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group, but Türkiye has strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria.
Moreover, the U.S. sanctioned the Turkish defense industry in December 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400s missile systems and expelled its ally from its F-35 fighter jet program. Ankara has called the moves unjust, but the allies have since been working to set aside differences and focus on cooperation, including on Ukraine.
