Türkiye’s top diplomat on Monday said the potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets would be completed smoothly if the Biden administration proves the will to seal the deal.

"The will is with the administration here. If the administration stands resolutely, there will be no problems," Çavuşoğlu told a joint press conference with his Bosnian counterpart Bisera Turkovic in Ankara.

His remarks came after the Biden administration reportedly conveyed to Congress its intention to sell the fighter jets to Türkiye, a move that sparked an immediate objection from a senior U.S. lawmaker who has long opposed the deal.

NATO member Türkiye has been seeking to modernize its existing warplanes to update its air force and sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits from the U.S.

Technical talks between the two sides recently concluded, Çavuşoğlu also confirmed on Monday.

The State Department sent the informal notice to Congress on Thursday, sources told Reuters on Friday, informing committees overseeing arms sales in the Senate and House of Representatives of its intention to proceed with the proposed deal.

The Biden administration has said it supports the sale and has been in touch for months with Congress on an informal basis to win its approval. However, it has failed so far to secure a green light.

Trip to Washington

Çavuşoğlu is due to visit Washington on Wednesday on a trip during which, in addition to bilateral relations, a host of disagreements, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO are expected to be high on the agenda.

Çavuşoğlu on Monday said he would be meeting his American counterpart Antony Blinken and that the F-16 jets would be among the matters he would discuss during the visit.

"We will meet with Mr. Blinken on Wednesday. Our colleagues have already gone to Washington, they will hold preparatory meetings. One of the issues on our agenda is the F-16s," he said.

"Military negotiations on the F-16 have been completed. The State Department has informally notified Congress. If no objection is received from here, the process is completed and official notification is made."

Under U.S. law, Congress can block a sale by passing a resolution of disapproval after formal notification of a deal. Still, it is unlikely to do so if President Joe Biden decides to go ahead despite lawmakers’ objections. While Congress has passed such resolutions, it has never mustered the two-thirds majority needed in both chambers to overcome a presidential veto.

"The president’s request in this direction can be rejected by 51% in Congress, if this happens, it will be sent a second time. This time it should be rejected by a two-thirds majority. It’s not something that's been seen much in U.S. history," Çavuşoğlu said.

He stressed Türkiye expects the process to be solved without problems, despite a senator Çavuşoğlu said has been continuously voicing objections, without giving a name.

"One senator is constantly stating his objection, but we expect the process to be completed smoothly. Agreements have been reached with the administration at all levels. The administration has noted that this is important not only for Türkiye, but also for NATO," the minister said.

Çavuşoğlu is said to have referred to Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who on Friday vowed to continue to block the deal.

"As I have repeatedly made clear, I strongly oppose the Biden administration’s proposed sale of new F-16 aircraft to Turkey," Menendez said in a statement.

Last July, the House of Representatives approved legislation to bar the sale to Türkiye unless the Biden administration certifies that doing so is essential to U.S. national security. It also described concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for "unauthorized overflights" of Greece.

These amendments were removed in the final U.S. defense spending bill.

Ankara has been voicing its firm opposition to any conditions on the sale of the jets.

"We have said this before. We do not want to buy a product from any country in such a conditional or binding way," Çavuşoğlu said.

At a press conference on Saturday, chief foreign policy adviser and Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said Washington’s demands relating to the supply of the fighter jets were "endless."

"If they keep pushing Türkiye in other directions with F-16 (and) F-35 sanctions, and then Türkiye reacts, they blame Türkiye again, then that’s not a fair game," Kalın said. "It looks like their list of demands is endless. So there’s always something."

‘Maintain balancing policy’

Ankara had said it might consider alternatives, including Russia, if the U.S. fails to follow through on its promise to deliver F-16s to the Turkish air forces.

The sale of U.S. weapons to Türkiye became contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 defense missile systems. The deal triggered U.S. sanctions and Türkiye’s removal from the next-generation F-35 fighter jet program.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is also reported to be nearing approval of the sale of new F-35 jets to Greece.

Türkiye has been complaining of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaty obligations. It says that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts toward peace.

Senator Menendez on Friday said he welcomed news of the sale of F-35 jets for Greece, referring to Athens as a "trusted NATO ally" and saying the deal "strengthens our two nations’ abilities to defend shared principles including our collective defense, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

Çavuşoğlu on Monday called on the U.S. to maintain the balancing policy between Greece and Türkiye.

"We also read about the F-35 delivery to Greece from the media. But we are saying this to the U.S. The balance in Türkiye-Greece relations has begun to deteriorate, and the balance in the island of Cyprus has also begun to deteriorate. The U.S. should pay attention to this balance," the minister said.

"Otherwise, it doesn’t matter to whom or what weapons are sold. The important thing is what is our strength, what steps we are taking."