US approves F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey after it approves Sweden’s Nato entry

The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO.

The move is a significant development in the expansion of the alliance, which has taken on additional importance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23bn F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6bn sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday. The move came just hours after Turkey deposited its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden’s accession to Nato with Washington, which is the repository for alliance documents and after several key members of Congress lifted their objections.

The sale to Turkey includes 40 new F-16s and equipment to modernize 79 of its existing F-16 fleet. The sale to Greece includes 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment.

NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns.

Those objections, including from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens Ben Cardin, D-Md, and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, have now been overcome, officials said.

Mr Cardin said in statement Friday that he had still had concerns about Turkey's rights record, but had agreed to the sale based on commitments Turkey has made to improve it. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance, and working with our global allies in