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The Turkish President stated that the United States proposed to sell F-16 fighter jets in exchange for its investment in the F-35 program.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the United States proposed to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in exchange for its investment in the F-35 program. Turkey withdrew from the program after purchasing a missile defense system from Russia. out.
Erdogan told reporters before leaving for Africa on Sunday that Turkey hopes to obtain a return on investment in the F-35 project, and negotiations on this issue are ongoing.
Erdogan said: “We paid 1.4 billion U.S. dollars for the F-35, and the United States made such a proposal in exchange for these payments.”
“On this point, we said let us take all necessary measures to meet our country’s national defense needs,” he said.
The Turkish leader said: “We are working hard to further develop our fleet, from the modernization of the F-16s we have to the purchase of new additional F-16s.”
Ankara ordered more than 100 F-35 jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, but the United States removed Turkey from the plan after acquiring the Russian S-400 missile defense system in 2019.
In the past five years, the decades-long partnership between NATO allies has policy differences in Syria, Ankara’s closer relationship with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the US accusations against a state-owned Turkish bank, and Turkey’s human rights record .
Ankara’s purchase of S-400 also triggered US sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted the Turkish Defense Industry Agency, Director Ismail Demir and three other employees.
Erdogan said that Ankara still intends to purchase the second batch of S-400 from Russia, which may deepen the rift with Washington.
The United States warned Turkey that if it buys more weapons from Russia, bilateral relations will face further risks.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey has requested the United States to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modern kits for its existing fighter jets.
It may be difficult to obtain the approval of the U.S. Congress for jet aircraft requirements. In recent years, the U.S. Congress’s sentiment towards Turkey has deteriorated severely.
Both parties in the US Congress support pushing the Biden administration to exert further pressure on Ankara, mainly against its purchase of Russian weapons and its human rights record.
Ankara has expressed the hope that a better relationship will be established under the leadership of US President Joe Biden.
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