US denies making any financing offers to Turkey on F-16 jets
U.S. State Department has denied making any "financing offers on Turkey's F-16 requests," adding that Washington and Ankara are still trying to resolve Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 program due to its purchase of Russian weapons.
Duvar English - Reuters
The United States on Oct. 18 did not confirm Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's comment that Washington had made an offer to Ankara for the sale of F-16 fighter jets but added that it has not made Turkey a financing offer for the warplanes.
"We would refer you to the Turkish government to speak to its defense procurement plans. What I can say is the United States has not made any financing offers on Turkey's F-16 request," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing.
Erdoğan said on Oct. 17 that the United States had proposed the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in return for its investment in the F-35 program, from which Ankara was removed after buying missile defense systems from Russia.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a trip to West Africa, Erdoğan said Turkey wants a return for its investment in the F-35 program and that talks on the issue are ongoing.
"There is the payment of $1.4 billion we have made for the F-35s and the U.S. had such a proposal in return for these payments," Erdoğan said.
"And regarding this, we said let's take whatever steps are needed to be taken to meet the defense needs of our country," he said, adding that the new F-16 jets would help develop its fleet.
Ankara had ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, but the U.S. removed Turkey from the program in 2019 after it acquired Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disagreements on Syria policy, Ankara's closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, U.S. charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Ankara's purchase of the S-400s has also triggered U.S. sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate, its chief, İsmail Demir, and three other employees.
Since then the U.S. has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying further Russian weaponry. But Erdoğan has indicated Ankara still intends to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could deepen the rift with Washington.
The request for the jets will likely have a difficult time getting approval from the U.S. Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has soured deeply over recent years.
There is bipartisan support in U.S. Congress to push the Biden administration to put further pressure on Ankara, primarily over its purchase of Russian weapons and its human rights track record.
Ankara has said it hopes for better ties under U.S. President Joe Biden.