Ankara has made concessions from the United States after supporting Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO.
A senior Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday that the United States support an agreement with Turkey to upgrade F-16 fighters less than 24 hours after Ankara cleared a path for Finland and Sweden to join NATO .
Turkey has been sanctioned and excluded from the US F-35 program for refusing to get rid of Russia's S-400 missile defense systems. But Ankara appears to have made some concessions from the international community, including the United States, to remove objections to Finland's and Sweden's bid to join NATO.
US-Turkey talks aimed at resolving the fighter dispute has been going on for several months, including “dispute settlement discussions” that began last year.
Following NATO's agreement on Sweden and Finland, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander spoke to reporters and was asked about the US position on selling F-16s to Turkey.
Read also: US offers Turkey to hand over missile system to Ukraine S-400 – Reuters
“So, the US Department of Defense fully supports Turkey's plans to modernize its F-16 fleet. These plans are under development, “Vallander said, stressing that such plans will need to be developed as part of” our contract processes. “
Vallander added: “But the United States supports Turkey's modernization of its fighter fleet because it is a contribution to NATO's security and therefore to America's security.”
Instead of no longer participating in the F-35 program , Turkey has proposed an agreement to buy new F-16s in the United States, while upgrading its existing fleet of 80 old F-16s in dire need of modernization.
Congress should approve this, despite Ankara's strong dissatisfaction with both parties, but the Biden administration has indicated it is ready to give the green light to the deal.
A State Department official told Al Arabiya that it was crucial for NATO to ensure that Turkey had full functioning air capabilities. “Turkey desperately needs to upgrade its current fleet of fighter jets [for NATO],” the official said on condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to discuss the issue.
And, according to a State Department spokesman, the current life of the current Turkish F-16 fleet will be extended “by about five to ten years” if the United States provides a specific technology. “It's their decision, and it can be easy. They could just send the S400 to Ukraine, “the official said. Although unlikely, the official said it would almost certainly elicit a positive response from Congress.
Vallander, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that Turkey was “a very capable, highly valued NATO strategic ally.” “And Turkey's defense capabilities – Turkey's strong defense capabilities help strengthen NATO's defense capabilities,” she said.
Earlier today, US President Joe Biden said Washington intended to strengthen its military presence in Europe. , in particular in the Baltic States, Poland, Great Britain, Spain.
For more information on how to prevent a new attack by Nazi Russia on Ukraine after the end of this war, read the article by Tatiana Silina “Security Guarantees for Ukraine: The Illusion of Deception”
