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
How does the connection between Greece’s pending purchase of F-35 fighter jets and the resolution on Turkey’s deal impact the decision-making process in the United States
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Turkey’s recent agreement to facilitate Sweden’s NATO membership in exchange for President Biden’s support in Turkey’s purchase of F-16 fighter jets may not be the final resolution to the issue at hand.
Another NATO member in the eastern Mediterranean, Greece, also seeks to acquire advanced American aircraft, specifically the F-35s, which are the most sophisticated U.S. fighter jets. However, lawmakers from both political parties in the United States believe that Greece’s purchase should not proceed without a resolution on Turkey’s deal.
Greece and Turkey have been long-standing regional rivals, and Greece’s pending purchase of F-35s has been in a state of uncertainty. While senior members of Congress have seemingly eased their opposition to Turkey’s F-16 request following the agreement with Sweden on NATO accession, they have connected the two deals.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) expressed his reservations about the F-16 deal even after the announcement regarding Sweden at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Latvia.
