Turkey’s agreement this week to allow Sweden to become a NATO member, in apparent exchange for President Biden’s willingness to push forward Ankara’s long-stalled purchase of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, may not be the end of the issue.
There is another NATO member in the eastern Mediterranean that also wants to buy sophisticated American aircraft, and U.S. lawmakers from both parties say that one deal should not go forward without the other.
Greece – Turkey’s longtime regional rival – wants F-35s, the most advanced U.S. fighter jets, a pending purchase that has been in limbo. And though senior members of Congress appear to have softened their opposition to Turkey’s F-16 request following Ankara’s agreement to drop its objections to Sweden’s NATO accession, they have linked the two deals.
“I am continuing to have my reservations on the F-16,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) told The Washington Post this week after the Sweden announcement at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Latvia
In what ways are lawmakers in the U.S. linking the Turkey-Sweden NATO agreement and Greece’s potential acquisition of advanced American aircraft
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Turkey’s recent agreement to allow Sweden to become a NATO member in exchange for President Biden’s support in proceeding with Ankara’s purchase of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets may not resolve the issue entirely.
There is another NATO member, Greece, in the eastern Mediterranean region that is also interested in acquiring advanced American aircraft. Lawmakers from both parties in the U.S. believe that the purchase of F-35s, the most advanced U.S. fighter jets, should not proceed without considering the Turkey deal.
Greece has been waiting for its pending purchase of F-35s to progress, but the situation has been in a state of uncertainty. While some senior members of Congress have softened their opposition to Turkey’s request for F-16s following its agreement with Sweden, they are now linking the two deals.
“I still have reservations regarding the F-16,” stated Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) after the Sweden announcement at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Latvia.
