WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2023) President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he is certain that the United States will be able to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after the latter agreed to approve Sweden's NATO bid.
When asked whether he believes that Sen. Robert Menendez would drop his objections to the deal, Biden said: "I'm confident that Turkey will continue to support Sweden getting into NATO."
"And I'm confident we'll be able to sell those F-16s," he said.
Earlier in the day, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN that Biden has been clear about his view that F-16 jets should be transferred to Turkey, and he will stay in close touch with Menendez regarding his objections.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to back Sweden's NATO membership bid and send the relevant documents to the parliament for ratification at the earliest. On the same day, Erdogan expressed his intention to meet with Biden and work on resolving issues around the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets.
In October 2021, Turkey made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets in a $20 billion deal, but a final agreement has been stalled amid multiple disputes between Ankara and Washington, including Turkey's obstruction of Sweden's NATO accession.
