Congressional approval is contingent on Turkey signing off on Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the officials said.
The Biden administration 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.
This is reported by the WSJ, noting that the officials stressed that the approval of the Congress is dependent on Turkey’s signature on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
If the sales go through, they would be the biggest arms sales in years, according to US officials.
Turkey has blocked the two countries’ applications over objections to their 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.
As for the sale to Turkey, which the US has been considering for a year, it is larger than expected as it includes 40 new aircraft to modernize its existing fleet of 79 F-16s, officials said.
It also includes 900 air-to-air missiles and 800 bombs.
The separate sale to Greece at the request of the Greek government last June includes “at least 30” F-35s, which are the US’s most advanced fighter.
Although the officials spoke of a coincidence, it is certain that Athens’ possible reactions to the F-16s in Turkey will be bent if its own request is granted, the WSJ points out and emphasizes that Congress has never blocked arms sales to a foreign country. country, which the White House has requested.
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