White House greenlights troubled arms deal with Türkiye
The Biden administration has agreed to the sale of F-16 fighter jets after Ankara dropped its opposition to Sweden’s NATO bid
"U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has agreed to push forward with the controversial sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, just hours after Ankara stopped obstructing Sweden’s accession to NATO.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying Biden would work with Congress to get the arms deal finalized.
U.S. President Joe Biden will move forward with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in consultation with Congress, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of a summit of NATO leaders due to start later in the day in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Sullivan said President Joe Biden "had been clear that he supports the transfer."
"He has placed no caveats on this... He intends to move forward with that transfer," he said.
Sullivan did not give any details on the timing.
Late on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to forward to parliament Sweden's bid to become a member of the NATO military alliance, following months of pressure by the United States and its allies.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying Biden would work with Congress to get the arms deal finalized.
- “He has placed no caveats or conditions,” Sullivan told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. “He intends to move forward with that transfer in consultation with Congress.”
_________________________________________________________________________
US says to move forward with transfer of F-16 jets to Turkey
Some NATO partners believe that Turkey, which requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes, has been using Swedish membership to pressure Washington on the warplanes. Sullivan also said NATO allies will make a "united, positive signal" on Ukraine's path towards membership in the alliance during the summit, a main topic of discussion in Vilnius.
_________________________________________________________________________
A group of US senators threatened to block the aircraft deal in February unless Ankara approved the bid by Sweden and Finland to join the US-led military bloc. Finland became a NATO member in April.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday in Vilnius, where he agreed to support Stockholm’s application to join the alliance. The 31-nation military bloc requires unanimous approval for all new members. Erdogan had exercised his veto power for months, arguing that Sweden was not doing enough to extradite people linked to Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorist organizations.
Despite the change in Ankara’s position, some US lawmakers still have qualms over the F-16 deal. The US must “find a way to ensure that Turkey’s aggression against its neighbors ceases,” said Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. He also has raised concerns about Turkish human rights and Ankara’s overflights through Greek airspace.
Ankara requested US approval in October 2021 for a $20 billion purchase that would include new F-16 fighters, built by Lockheed Martin, as well as around 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes."
- Menendez added that he wants assurances that Türkiye will not use the warplanes “to act in the belligerent way they have against other NATO allies, not just Greece.”
Ankara requested US approval in October 2021 for a $20 billion purchase that would include new F-16 fighters, built by Lockheed Martin, as well as around 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes."
No comments:
Post a Comment