President Joe Biden would tie approval of the sale of F-16 Block 70 and 80 Viper modernization kits to Turkey in exchange for Erdogan lifting his objection to Sweden’s NATO membership.
According to Reuters, the US president called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him on his re-election. In that conversation, the Turkish president again urged his U.S. peer to speed up the approval of the sale of 40 new F-16 Block 70s and 80 modernization kits to bring the previous block F-16s up to Viper standard, a deal potentially worth $20 billion. Biden pledged to speak with him again on that issue, while also expressing his desire for Turkey to withdraw its veto on Sweden’s NATO membership.
«I spoke to Erdogan. I congratulated Erdogan. He still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done. And so we’ll be back in touch with one another», Biden told reporters gathered outside the White House.
Asked if he expected any movement from Erdogan on Sweden’s NATO membership, Biden said: «I raised that issue with him. We’re going to talk more about it next week.»
See also: What will Sweden and Finland contribute to NATO air power?
A delicate negotiation
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning their historic military non-alignment policies in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Membership applications must be approved by all NATO members, and Turkey had tied its approval to the completion of the F-16 sale, among other demands.
Relations between Washington and Ankara are going through one of their worst moments following Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system, despite US objections. After years of negotiations and threats, Turkey went ahead with the incorporation of the Russian systems, and this earned it expulsion from the F-35 program and the imposition of military and economic sanctions.
After Finland lifted its restrictions on arms sales imposed on Turkey following its invasion of Syria in 2019, Ankara allowed its NATO membership last month. But objections to Sweden’s membership continue, as, according to Ankara, the Scandinavian country hosts members of armed groups it considers «terrorists.»
See also: Turkey will not rejoin the F-35 program, House Armed Services Committee says
Alternatives to the F-16
In September last year, in view of the lack of progress in the negotiations for the sale of F-16s, President Erdoga pointed out that «it is not only the United States that sells fighter jets in the world. England sells, France sells, Russia sells, it is possible to get it from anywhere. For this, there are some who are already sending us signals».
See also: Turkey explores the possibility of buying Eurofighter jets from the UK
Although today the Russian option is totally impossible, and the French Rafale seems an unlikely candidate (given that it was sold to Greece and that Paris maintains a confrontational policy towards Turkish interests in the Aegean), the United Kingdom could position its Eurofighter as a valid alternative for Ankara.
