Turkey’s “aggression against its neighbours” must cease in order to secure F-16s arms trade with the United States, Senator Bob Menendez told Reuters on Tuesday.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman revealed that he has been in discussions with President Joe Biden over the potential F-16 sales to Turkey since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on the first day of the Vilnius summit, gave Sweden the green light for NATO membership.
Menendez has opposed the US sale of F-16s and modernisation kits to Turkey since Erdoğan made the request back in 2021. During the Reuters interview he suggested he would only be willing to drop his hold on the trade if a permanent solution was found to Turkey’s aggression, while adding that the “recent lull” was not enough.
The senator also emphasised that assurances must be made to “beef up Greece’s security” and obtain guarantees on Turkey’s future actions.
In September 2022 the fraught relationship between Turkey and Greece was further strained when Turkish authorities accused the Greeks of obstructing Turkish fighter jets from the S-300 air defence system located on Crete.
Menendez publicly condemned Erdoğan in December 2022 following Turkey’s repeated threats against Greece. “If demanding Turkey recognise Greek and Cypriot sovereignty makes me an enemy of Erdoğan – then it is a badge I will wear with honor,” he said, vowing not to approve the sale of F-16s to Turkey until the Turkish President halted his aggressive campaign across the region.
