Erdogan "Wants to Buy F-16"... Biden "Sweden's NATO Membership Comes First"

Erdo?an's First Call with the US After Re-election

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkiye, expressed his intention to purchase F-16 fighter jets during his first call with U.S. President Joe Biden after his re-election victory. President Biden engaged in a standoff, stating that support for Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must come first.

On the 29th (local time), President Biden told reporters, "I congratulated Erdogan on his (election) victory during our call today," and made the remarks.

He continued, "He still wanted to resolve something regarding the F-16 fighter jets," adding, "I said I want a deal on Sweden and that we should settle that issue."

Turkiye is pushing to acquire U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets worth $20 billion (approximately 26.5 trillion won). However, the U.S. stance is to support the sale on the condition that Turkiye agrees to Sweden and Finland's NATO membership. Strengthening the Western front against Russia requires Sweden and Finland's NATO accession, and Turkiye's approval is essential for this. Nevertheless, the U.S. Congress remains opposed.

Currently, Turkiye supports Finland's NATO membership but maintains opposition to Sweden's accession. This is because Sweden is perceived to support the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which the Turkiye government designates as a terrorist organization.

President Biden's remarks on this day are interpreted as a form of pressure, urging Turkiye to approve Sweden's NATO membership if it wants to expedite the F-16 purchase process. The U.S. has set Sweden's NATO accession as one of the top priorities ahead of the NATO summit scheduled to be held in Lithuania in mid-July.