Biden administration pressing Congress for approval of F-16 sale to Turkiye
ANKARA (AA) – The Biden administration is pressing the Congress for the approval of the F-16 sale to Turkiye, Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
By asking the congressional leaders to approve the deal, the administration is setting up a showdown with the lawmakers, said the WSJ.
According to the daily, Turkiye’s mediation efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and its supplying Ukraine with the TB-2 combat drones, which proved very effective on the battlefield, significantly contributed to warming the relations between Ankara and Washington.
US and Turkish officials are advocating for the F-16 deal, arguing that it could help repair the American-Turkish defense relationship, frayed after Ankara chose to buy a Russian air-defense system in 2017, the daily reported.
An approximately $6 billion deal would include the sale of 40 newly built F-16V fighter jets and modernization kits for 80 F-16 C/D models that the Turkish Air Forces has in its inventory.
The Turkish government made the request for the F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on April 8 this year that the talks were “progressing positively.”
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