Senators say no F-16 upgrades for Turkey if it blocks Finland, Sweden from joining NATO

President Biden should make clear to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that Congress is unlikely to approve fighter jet upgrades for Ankara if it fails to advance Sweden’s and Finland’s bids to join NATO, a bipartisan group of senators said Thursday.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, led 25 of their colleagues in a letter to the president, saying, “Congress cannot consider future support for Türkiye, including the sale of F-16 fighter jets, until Türkiye completes ratification of the accession protocols.”

Of NATO’s 30 members, only Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify Sweden’s and Finland’s accessions. Budapest is expected to take up the protocols this month.

“Failure to ratify the protocols or present a timeline for ratification threatens the Alliance’s unity at a key moment in history, as Russia continues its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” the senators wrote.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senators-say-no-f-16-upgrades-for-turkey-if-it-blocks-finland-sweden-from-joining-nato/ar-AA172Q8n