Biden and Erdogan to discuss $20bn sale of upgraded F-16 Block 70/72 fighters

Last week, John Kirby said the United States wanted to move ahead with the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Turkey. President Joe Biden also commented on the situation.

Here's What We Know

The US president said he had spoken by telephone with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and congratulated him on winning the Turkish presidential elections. According to Biden, Ankara still plans to buy F-16 fighter jets. In return, the U.S. wants Turkey not to prevent Sweden from joining NATO.

Turkey sought to buy the F-16 Fighting Falcon, upgraded to Block 70/72. The value of the potential deal is estimated at $20 billion. Turkey also wants 80 kits worth $259 million to upgrade its existing aircraft.

Ankara decided to buy the F-16 after it was excluded from the development programme for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. This was due to the purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.

Source: Reuters