Current:Home > reviewsUS approves F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey, F-35s to Greece after Turkey OKs Sweden’s entry to NATO -Blueprint Wealth Network
US approves F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey, F-35s to Greece after Turkey OKs Sweden’s entry to NATO
View
Date:2025-04-23 08:51:48
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. The move is a significant development in the expansion of the alliance, which has taken on additional importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday. The move came just hours after Turkey deposited its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden’s accession to NATO with Washington, which is the repository for alliance documents and after several key members of Congress lifted their objections.
The sale to Turkey includes 40 new F-16s and equipment to modernize 79 of its existing F-16 fleet. The sale to Greece includes 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment.
NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns.
Those objections, including from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, have now been overcome, officials said.
Cardin said in statement Friday that he had still had concerns about Turkey’s rights record, but had agreed to the sale based on commitments Turkey has made to improve it. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance, and working with our global allies in standing up to ongoing Russian aggression against its peaceful neighbors,” he said.
This image provided by the U.S. Air Force, a F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 510th Fighter Squadron takes off during Red Flag 24-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on Jan 25, 2024. The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighters jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. (Staff Sgt. Heather Ley/U.S. Air Force via AP)
Turkey had delayed its approval of Sweden’s NATO membership for more than a year, ostensibly because it believed Sweden did not take Turkey’s national security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats.
The delays had frustrated the U.S, and other NATO allies, almost all of whom had been swift to accept both Sweden and Finland into the alliance after the Nordic states dropped their longstanding military neutrality following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Sweden’s formal accession to NATO now depends on Hungary, which is the last remaining NATO ally not to have approved its membership. US and NATO officials have said they expect Hungary to act quickly, especially after Turkey’s decision.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Blasting off: McDonald's spinoff CosMc's opens first Texas location
- Kris Jenner mourns loss of 'beautiful' sister Karen Houghton: 'Life is so short and precious'
- NFL mock draft: New landing spots for Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy as Vikings trade to No. 3
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- NFL mock draft: New landing spots for Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy as Vikings trade to No. 3
- What to know about Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame's freshman star and ACC rookie of the year
- Reports: Authorities investigate bomb threat claim at MLB season-opener in South Korea
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Longtime NHL tough guy and Stanley Cup champion Chris Simon dies at 52
Ranking
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- EPA issues new auto rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting electric vehicles and hybrids
- Police in Idaho involved in hospital shooting are searching for an escaped inmate and 2nd suspect
- NFL mock draft: New landing spots for Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy as Vikings trade to No. 3
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- More than 6 in 10 U.S. abortions in 2023 were done by medication, new research shows
- JetBlue will drop some cities and reduce LA flights to focus on more profitable routes
- Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend sues him for assault and defamation
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
How 2 companies are taking different approaches to carbon capture as climate reports show rising temperatures
Subway will replace Coca-Cola products with Pepsi in 2025
Protesters in Cuba decry power outages, food shortages
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Microsoft hires influential AI figure Mustafa Suleyman to head up consumer AI business
Which NBA teams could be headed for the postseason via play-in tournament games?
How many people got abortions in 2023? New report finds increase despite bans