The sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye is not intertwined with Sweden's membership in NATO, but some Congress members draw a connection between the two issues, the U.S. State Department said Monday.
"We do not believe that they are linked or should be linked," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller at a press briefing, in response to a question about the current status of the potential sale.
Days earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the U.S. was linking the warplane deal with Turkish ratification of Sweden's NATO membership bid, and this "seriously upsets" Ankara.
Reiterating the previous statements from the Biden administration, Miller said Washington made clear to the Turkish government that the sale of F-16s has to be approved by the U.S. Congress.
"And there are members of Congress who believe that the two issues are closely tied together," he said. "So while we do not believe that they're linked, we're not the only actor in this process. We made that clear directly to Turkish officials."
Miller did not provide an update on a timeline.
The spokesperson reiterated the U.S. position on Sweden's accession, saying it "should be approved as soon as possible," adding that the U.S. appreciates Erdoğan's support for it.
Ankara requested F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from Washington in October 2021. The deal is awaiting a green light from the U.S. Congress. The deal would include the sale of 40 jets as well as modernization kits for 79 warplanes already in the Turkish Air Force’s inventory.
Although President Joe Biden repeatedly said Washington wants to move forward with the deal, key lawmakers on Capitol Hill have vowed to nix the deal over several demands, including making the purchase contingent on Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO bid.
Officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, previously said the Biden administration does not link the two issues.
Erdoğan on Sunday said after a brief chat with Biden on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in New Delhi that the U.S. makes such a connection.
"We had a quick word with Biden. We also discussed the F-16 issue," Erdoğan said at a news conference after the G-20 summit in India, "Unfortunately, friends keep bringing Sweden up when it comes to the F-16 issue. Such an approach seriously upsets us."
After months of objections, Türkiye agreed at a NATO summit in July to forward Sweden's NATO bid to the Turkish Parliament for ratification.
A day later, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington would proceed with the transfer of F-16s to Türkiye in consultation with Congress.
However, the timing of both the F-16 transaction and the Turkish Parliament's green light for Sweden remains unclear.
"If you say that Congress will decide (on sales of F-16s to Türkiye), then we have a Congress in Türkiye as well – it is the Turkish Parliament," Erdoğan told reporters.
"It is not possible for me to say 'yes' (to Sweden's NATO membership bid) alone unless such a decision is approved by (our) Parliament."
Ankara has accused Sweden of harboring terrorist groups, mainly members of the PKK, deemed a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union and the United States.
Erdoğan also said Sweden should "keep its promises" and take more steps – which would include extraditing PKK terrorists and preventing pro-PKK rallies in Sweden – before Türkiye clears its NATO bid.
