By Humeyra Pamuk and Andrea Shalal
MADRID – The Biden administration threw its help on Wednesday behind the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a day after Ankara lifted a veto of NATO membership for Finland and Sweden.
Talking at a briefing name, Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary for Protection for Worldwide Safety Affairs at Pentagon, advised reporters that robust Turkish protection capabilities would reinforce NATO‘s defenses.
“The US helps Turkey’s modernization of its fighter fleet as a result of that could be a contribution to NATO safety and due to this fact American safety,” she stated.
“These plans are within the works. And, they have to be labored via our contracting processes,” she added.
Turkey made a request in October to the US to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters and practically 80 modernization kits for its current warplanes.
Washington had not beforehand brazenly expressed any opinion on the sale other than saying all weapons gross sales must undergo the mandatory authorized course of.
In March, the State Division wrote a letter to some members of the U.S. Congress who had opposed the sale, saying “acceptable” U.S. protection commerce ties with Turkey would serve U.S. pursuits.
Wallander’s feedback come on the heels of an eleventh hour deal struck on Tuesday between Turkey, Finland and Sweden after 4 hours of talks, averting an embarrassing deadlock on the gathering of 30 NATO leaders that goals to point out resolve within the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The three nations signed a deal underneath which Ankara lifted its block on Finnish and Swedish membership, whereas the candidates pledged to not help the Kurdish militant PKK and YPG teams, or the community of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey blames for a failed 2016 coup try.
U.S. officers pushed again towards any suggestion that Washington was backing the warplane request to take away Turkish objections to the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO.
“The U.S. didn't provide something to Turkey and was not requested for something by Turkey” as a part of its settlement with Finland and Sweden, a senior administration official stated.
The official stated U.S. officers have been engaged in ongoing technical talks about Turkey’s request to purchase U.S. F-16 fighter jets. Congress would have the ultimate say about any such gross sales.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is because of meet with President Joe Biden in a while Wednesday. Erdogan, earlier than departing for Madrid on Tuesday however after a cellphone name with Biden, criticised the US over the F-16 sale, saying it was stalling Ankara.
The sale of U.S. weapons to NATO ally Turkey grew to become contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made protection missile programs, triggering U.S. sanctions in addition to Turkey’s removing from the F-35 fighter jet program.
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