White House expects Biden, Erdoğan to meet in Glasgow

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U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the U.N. climate change conference in Scotland, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Oct. 28.

"I anticipate he will meet with the president of Turkey in Glasgow," he told reporters aboard Biden's plane headed to Rome for an earlier G20 summit.

"I don't have confirmation, but that's the present expectation."

Earlier this week, Erdoğan said that he will meet with Biden in Glasgow and that problems over the F-35 fighter jet program will be the main topic at the meeting. 

Turkey, a manufacturer and buyer of the F-35s, was expelled from the program over its purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems. It says its removal is unjust and has demanded reimbursement of $1.4 billion.

Erdoğan has said Washington offered Ankara a package of F-16 jets and modernization kits in exchange for the payment, but the United States has said it offered no such financial plan.

"The information we received is that there is a payment plan of some sort with them," state-run Anadolu Agency cited Erdoğan as telling reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan on Oct. 27. 

"Whether this is true or not, we will find out from them. It will be good for me to discuss this with Mr. Biden at the highest level. If so, we will go for a deal in that regard."

Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey had made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.

Turkish Presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın confirmed the report shortly after, but noted that the issue was being evaluated.