The State Department told Congress on Friday that it had approved a $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets and related equipment to Turkey after the leader signed documents confirming Sweden's long-delayed entry into the country North Atlantic Treaty Organization, State Department officials said Pentagon said.
Although Congress could formally block the sale, four senior lawmakers told the State Department on Friday evening that they would not object after their advisers reviewed documents signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. officials said.
Congressional officials had demanded to see the documents before signaling their approval of the sale. Therefore, the Foreign Ministry asked Turkey to fly the documents to New York on Friday. The department had someone pick up the documents in New York and bring them to Washington by Friday evening to show them to lawmakers.
The department's subsequent formal notification to Congress means the sale will almost certainly go ahead, fulfilling Mr. Erdogan's key condition for supporting Sweden's NATO membership and potentially helping to end an episode that has marred relations between the United States states and Turkey.
Turkey was one of two NATO members, along with Hungary, that refused to agree to Sweden joining the alliance. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had engaged in intensive diplomacy since last year, including a meeting with Mr. Erdogan in Istanbul this month to try to change the Turkish leader's mind.
Mr. Blinken discussed the issue with Mr. Erdogan during a visit to Turkey in February 2023 and said three times that Turkey would not get the F-16 if it did not approve Sweden's entry, a U.S. official said.
The lengthy process with Turkey has also delayed the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Greece, which has been linked to the F-16 fighter jets in diplomatic talks, as Turkey and Greece are long-standing rivals despite both being NATO members are. The State Department also formally notified Congress on Friday evening that it would proceed with the sale.
Both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and almost all members of the alliance quickly agreed. Finland joined the alliance in April, but Sweden's application failed. While Hungary did not raise any specific objections, Turkish officials blamed Sweden for harboring Kurds, who Turkish officials said were terrorists.
Turkey's parliament voted on Tuesday to allow Sweden to join NATO, and Mr. Erdogan signed the measure into law on Thursday.
In return, the White House again endorsed the F-16 sale in a letter sent Wednesday to top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which oversee arms transfers through the White House, State Departments have sent to other nations.
The White House urged the four lawmakers to give their consent despite their longstanding reservations about some of Turkey's foreign policy and military actions, including increasing airstrikes in northeastern Syria against Kurdish fighters who are partners of the U.S. military in the campaign against the Islamic State are .
On Friday evening, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House committee, said Mr. Erdogan's signing of the protocols for Sweden's accession was “welcome, if overdue, news for the alliance and the broader bilateral relationship.” .
The State Department informally informed the two congressional committees about the F-16 sale more than a year ago, beginning the review process by lawmakers.
In addition to calling on the ministry to address concerns about Turkish attacks on the Kurds, MPs also wanted to see assurances from Turkey that it would de-escalate any tensions with the Greek military in the Aegean.
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised Turkey's approval in a statement Friday evening but expressed concern about some of the country's policies.
“While Turkey plays a critical role in the region as a NATO ally, there is an urgent need to improve its human rights record, including the unjustified detention of journalists and civil society leaders, and better cooperation to hold Russia responsible for its invasion of Ukraine “and on lowering the temperature in his rhetoric about the Middle East,” Mr. Cardin said.
He also criticized Hungary's “intransigence” towards Sweden. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed on Wednesday to get his parliament to approve Sweden's accession, but did not give a timetable for a vote. Mr Cardin said Mr Orban had “proven to be the most unreliable member of NATO”.
Unlike Mr. Erdogan, Mr. Orban has not yet asked for anything specific in return, the U.S. official said. But the Biden administration is watching for signs that it may also need to pursue intensive diplomacy with Mr. Orban.