The blackmail was a success: the US approved the sale of F-16 aircraft to Turkey

The United States has approved the sale of F-16 military aircraft to Turkey worth $23 billion. The sale follows Ankara’s decision to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, which Washington has been pushing hard to push through.

The Biden administration announced approval of a $23 billion deal to sell F-16 combat jets to Turkey after Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership, the State Department said.

According to The Guardian, the US State Department will now notify Congress of the agreement, as well as the separate sale of 40 F-35 fighter jets to Greece for $8.6 billion.

Turkey will receive 40 new F-16 fighters and upgrade 79 aircraft from its existing fleet, the State Department said in a press release.

The United States did not give the green light to the deal until Turkey’s documents ratifying Sweden’s membership arrived in Washington, an American official said, emphasizing the extremely delicate nature of the negotiations, Agence France-Presse reports.

Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s entry into NATO on Tuesday after more than a year of delays that frustrated Western efforts to show resolve in the face of the conflict in Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially objected to Sweden joining NATO because of Stockholm’s perceived recognition of Kurdish groups, which Ankara views as “terrorist” organizations. For the sake of membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, Sweden stepped on the throat of its principles and responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and adopting other security measures that Erdogan harshly demanded of the Swedes.

But Erdogan then turned to an unfulfilled US promise to deliver a batch of F-16 fighter jets, which was met with resistance in Congress over Turkey’s alleged human rights record and standoff with fellow NATO member Greece, The Guardian recalls.

The influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Ben Cardin, said on Friday that he would allow the sale of F-16s to Turkey.

“My approval of Turkey’s request to purchase F-16 aircraft was conditional on Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership. But make no mistake: I did not come to this decision lightly,” said Senator Cardin.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched an intense diplomatic effort to broker a deal, telling the Turkish president three times during a trip to Ankara immediately after the February 2023 earthquake that there would be no planes if Turkey blocked Sweden’s bid to join NATO, a U.S. official said.

Leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Relations Committee review every major foreign arms sale. They regularly ask questions or express concerns about human rights or diplomatic issues that could delay or stop such deals.

Once formal notice is given by the US State Department, Congress has 15 days to object to the sale, after which it is considered final.

U.S. officials do not expect Congress to block any sale, despite criticism of Turkey from some members.

Athens, meanwhile, strongly opposed the sale due to unresolved territorial disputes with Turkey in the energy-rich Mediterranean region, The Guardian recalls.

The US agreement with Turkey was initially contingent on Athens not blocking the sale, while Greece was given more advanced F-35 fighter jets.

Turkey’s aging air force would benefit from the new F-16s, having suffered from exclusion from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019 due to Erdogan’s decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defense system.

Turkey’s green light for Sweden to join NATO leaves Hungary as the latest holdout in the accession process that Sweden and Finland launched in response to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine nearly two years ago.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest on Tuesday to discuss the bid, even as there were hints of tension between the two countries.