LMT - U.S. to push ahead with F-16 sales to Turkey amid NATO expansion

2023-07-11 16:51:11 ET

The Biden administration will proceed with a $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

“President Biden has been clear and unequivocal for months that he’s supported the transfer of F-16s to Turkey, that this is in our national interests,” he said at a press briefing . “He intends to move forward with that transfer in consultation with Congress.”

The comments came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdrew his opposition to granting Sweden membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Biden on Sunday raised the issue of F-16s in a phone call with Erdogan, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials. Biden made a case for Sweden’s membership in the military alliance.

Turkey in October 2021 had asked to buy the fighter planes, which are made by Lockheed Martin ( NYSE: LMT ), and modernization equipment for its existing fleet.

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