The Biden administration has expressed public support for Turkey’s purchase of US F-16 fighter jets after Ankara dropped its objections to Finland and Sweden’s bids to join Nato.
Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, said the US “fully supports” Turkey’s plans to modernise its F-16 fleet in comments that represents Washington’s strongest public backing for the request since it was lodged by Ankara last October. With relations between the two countries fraught, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had accused the US of “stalling tactics”.
US officials say Washington did not offer Turkey anything to secure Ankara’s backing for Sweden and Finland’s push to join the western defence alliance, but they said the public approval appeared to help the atmosphere.