President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is more hopeful than ever about the U.S. sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye after discussing the issue with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO leaders' summit.

"We hope that we get favorable results soon, I am more hopeful than ever," Erdoğan told reporters in a news conference in Vilnius on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Erdoğan said his meeting with Biden would usher in a new period between Türkiye and the U.S.

The issue of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye seemed to get a boost in the wake of the decision on Sweden.

Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, stressed Tuesday that the U.S. president has "been clear and unequivocal for months that he's supported the transfer of F-16s," seeing this as in the interests of NATO.

"He has placed no caveats or conditions on that in his public and private comments over the past few months. And he intends to move forward with that transfer in consultation with Congress."

A U.S. official told AFP that the White House is now "actively engaging" with Congress, where there has been significant opposition to allowing the sale.

Sullivan said "We will work with the Congress on the appropriate timing for getting" the warplanes to Turkey. But he could not "speculate on the precise day it's going to happen."

Türkiye expects clear stance on terrorism

Erdoğan also said he expects a clear stance from all NATO allies on terrorism.

"A counterterrorism fight without 'buts and ifs' is our red line. We now expect a determined and clear stance from all allies regarding this matter," Erdoğan said.

He continued by saying that some NATO allies have distorted relations with the PYD and YPG, the offshoots of the PKK terrorist group. He argued that these relations damage the unity and integrity of NATO.

"There is no reasonable or logical explanation for these relations," he added.

He said he expects Sweden to take concrete steps against terrorism as per the agreement between the two countries in return for Ankara ratifying Stockholm's NATO accession.

'Turkish Parliament has final say on Swedish NATO bid'

The president noted that the Turkish Parliament is the sole authority to approve protocols regarding Sweden's membership.

"Like myself, our lawmakers will closely follow the process. The parliament is currently closed, and will handle the matter once it resumes sessions in October," Erdoğan said.

"There are various international agreements, and there are many legislative proposals that need to be discussed. We take them up in the order of their importance. But our goal is to finish this process as soon as possible," Erdoğan said.

Türkiye on Monday, the eve of the summit, agreed to send Sweden's NATO Accession Protocol to its parliament for ratification. The announcement was made by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg after meeting Erdoğan and Kristersson.

Sweden, for its part, reiterated it will not support terrorist organizations such as the PKK, and its affiliates, and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

Stockholm will also assist in efforts to reinvigorate Türkiye's EU accession process, including modernization of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union and visa liberalization.

The communique described the fight against terrorism as "essential" for NATO's defense.

Ankara aims to contribute to Ukraine-Russia peace

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan noted that Ankara has been striving to contribute to peace between Moscow and Kyiv since the beginning of the war.

"From day one, Türkiye has been striving to contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine by implementing international agreements, launching initiatives," Erdoğan said.

Noting that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in favor of maintaining the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Erdoğan said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, also has some suggestions: "We are working on a solution-focused settlement to renew the deal," he said.

Disrespect for sacred values not freedom of expression

Noting that the U.N. has passed a resolution condemning the recent Quran burning in Sweden, Erdoğan said attacking sacred values of other people's religions is not freedom of expression:

"It is barbaric, primitive, and in a way, an act of terrorism," he said.

Erdoğan also criticized the Western countries that voted against the resolution, saying that they should reconsider their perspective on freedoms and human rights.

The U.S., U.K. and some EU member-states rejected a resolution by the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, to condemn the recent Quran burning incident in Sweden.