The US government is preparing to seek congressional approval for a $20 billion sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey along with a separate sale of next-generation F-35 fighter jets to Greece, which if it happens would be one of the largest foreign arms sales in recent years, according to US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.
Congressional approval depends on Turkey's signature on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, officials said. Turkey has blocked the two countries' applications over objections to their alleged ties to Kurdish separatist groups. Both countries ended decades of neutrality by deciding to join NATO last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
According to the WSJ, the sale to Turkey, which the US government has been considering for more than a year, is larger than expected. It includes 40 new aircraft and kits to overhaul 79 of Turkey's existing F-16 fleet, according to officials familiar with the proposals.
The notification of the agreement to Congress will roughly coincide with the visit to Washington next week of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The sale to Turkey also includes more than 900 air-to-air missiles and 800 bombs, one of the officials said.
The separate sale to Greece, which the Greek government requested in June 2022, includes at least 30 new F-35s. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most advanced US fighter jet. While officials described the timing of the congressional disclosures to both Turkey and Greece as fortuitous, this could assuage Athens' protests over the F-16 sale if its request is also granted, the US newspaper noted.
The possible sale of aircraft could have far-reaching implications for Washington's efforts to strengthen ties with NATO allies Greece and Turkey amid the Western response to Russia's attack on Ukraine.
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on possible arms transfers as a matter of policy authority until and unless they are officially communicated to Congress. Congress has never blocked a foreign arms sale requested by the White House.
The proposed deal with Turkey comes at a moment of tension in US-Turkey relations, with Washington also trying to persuade President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to do more to sanction Russia and approve Finland and Sweden's entry into NATO.
The proposal also triggers a potential showdown with some congressional leaders who have pledged to oppose arms sales to Turkey. Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has said he would not approve any F-16 sales to Turkey, citing human rights concerns.
Under US arms export laws, Congress will have 30 days to consider the deal. If Congress wants to block the deal, it must pass a joint resolution of disapproval. Congress can also pass legislation to reject or modify a sale at any time up to delivery.
US officials say they are encouraging Erdogan to drop his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. One official described the F-16s as a «carrot and stick» to get Turkey to agree.
That, officials said, could reduce opposition to the sale among some members of Congress. State Department officials have argued for months that the expansion was imperative for NATO's collective security. However, officials expect that while the package for Greece could pass Congress, the F-16s could be delayed because of some members' reluctance to encourage Ankara with additional firepower.
Source: the Wall Street Journal
