US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed with members of Congress in recent weeks, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, which has been obstructed by the Democratic senator. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, "I won’t characterize those discussions except to say that we have always made it clear we support the sale of F-16s to Turkey and will continue that support."
Officials participating in the NATO summit in Lithuania stated that a coalition of 11 countries will begin training Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighters in August in Denmark, with a training center to be established in Romania. Denmark and the Netherlands, as NATO members, are leading international efforts to train pilots and maintenance support teams to ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Danish Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told reporters after a signing ceremony, “We hope to see results by early next year.”
So far, no country has committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, although Poland and Slovakia have provided 27 MiG-29 aircraft to supplement the Ukrainian fighter fleet. Kyiv has consistently urged Western countries to supply it with aircraft and train its pilots to counter Moscow's air superiority.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Tuesday that President Joe Biden intends to proceed with the transfer of F-16s to Turkey in consultation with the US Congress. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed with Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler, in a phone call, support for Turkey's military modernization efforts, after Ankara stated it would support Sweden's accession to NATO.
The Pentagon noted about the call: "They discussed the positive talks between Turkey and Sweden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as the Pentagon's support for Turkey's military modernization efforts." Former French ambassador to Washington, Gérard Araud, tweeted in response to Sullivan's remarks, "Sweden's extortion is paying off." Defense analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Camille Grand, stated, "It seems there is a significant push from the Biden administration to allow Turkey to modernize its air force and acquire F-16s." Turkey requested to purchase F-16s and components to upgrade its existing warplanes, valued at $20 billion, from Lockheed Martin in October 2021.
