U.S. approves F-16 sale to Turkiye, F-35 to Greece after Turkiye ratifies Sweden's entry to NATO
- The USA has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye.
- The approval followed the Turkish government's ratification this week of Sweden's membership in NATO.
- The move is a significant development in the expansion of the NATO Alliance,
Key Highlights
- The US Congress has approved a $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkiye.
- The Congress also approved the $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece.
- The move came just hours after Turkiye deposited its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden's accession to NATO with Washington.
- The sale to Turkiye includes 40 new F-16s and equipment to modernise 79 of its existing F-16 fleet.
- The sale to Greece includes 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment.
Other International Developments on the Multilateral Horizon
- Turkiye had delayed its approval of Sweden's NATO membership for more than a year.
- Sweden did not take Turkiye's national security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants.
- Turkiye had made its ratification of Sweden's membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes.
- Many Senators in the USA expressed objections due to human rights concerns by Turkiye.
NATO Expansion in the light of Russia Ukraine War
- NATO has approved Sweden and Finland into the alliance
- After the Nordic states dropped their long standing 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.
- The USA is also collecting its global allies in standing up to ongoing Russian aggression with this deal.
Prelims Takeaway
- F-16
- F-35
- Kurdish Militants of Turkiye