The United Arab Emirates has threatened to cancel the purchase of US F-35 fighter jets in protest of strict US conditions.
The two countries, however, said they hoped to resolve their dispute.
“The UAE has informed the United States that it is suspending talks” on the acquisition of 50 F-35 fighter jets, a Emirati official said. “Technical requirements, operating constraints and a cost-benefit analysis have led to this reassessment,” he added.
The Gulf country, however, has alternatives. In early December, the Emirates signed an agreement with France to buy 80 Rafale fighters for 14 billion euros, during a visit by French President Emanuel Macron.
However, according to an official, the US remains “the preferred Emirates supplier” for high-tech systems, and despite the suspension of talks on the F-35, a UAE mission will visit Washington this week for talks.
“We hope we can resolve all the issues,” said a State Department spokesman.
For his part, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said it was helpful to discuss the prerequisites before transferring technology. He stressed that these prerequisites as well as “the protection of American defense weapons are universal, non-negotiable” and do not only concern the Emirates, he stressed.
Members of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party have tried in vain to block the sale because of the Emirates’ involvement in the Saudi-led international coalition fighting in Yemen. U.S. officials are also concerned about China’s involvement in the UAE, especially as Beijing’s work in a port near the capital, Abu Dhabi.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States insists on certain conditions to ensure that the F-35s will not be subject to Chinese espionage.
The UAE has long wanted to buy F-35s and MQ-9 “Reaper” drones, but Israel has opposed it in order to maintain its technological superiority. Israel has received assurances from the United States on this issue.
The sale, approved in the final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency of the United States following a deal to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel, involved 50 F-35 fighter jets, 18 unmanned MQ-9s and air-to-air and air-to-air missiles. -soil, worth a total of $ 23 billion.
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