US President Joe Biden discussed the possibility of selling F-16 fighters to Turkey during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Biden linked the potential sale of the aircraft to Sweden's accession to NATO, Reuters reports.
During the conversation, Erdogan expressed Turkey's interest in purchasing F-16s from the US, to which Biden responded by urging Ankara to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO.
Biden mentioned that he congratulated Erdogan on his victory in the presidential elections and indicated that detailed discussions on these matters will take place in the following week.
Turkey has requested 40 F-16 fighter jets and approximately 80 upgrade kits for its existing fighters, with a total value of $20bn. However, congressional objections have caused a pause in the deal, despite the Biden administration expressing support for it.
The US has informed Turkey that obtaining congressional approval for the F-16 sale would be challenging unless Ankara approves Sweden's NATO membership. Turkey has already approved Finland's NATO membership, but it continues to object to Sweden's application, citing concerns about harboring "terrorists." Sweden's NATO membership application has not yet been approved by Hungary.
During the upcoming Vilnius summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in July, Sweden's accession to NATO will be a priority for the US.
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