Turkey has agreed to accept Sweden into NATO if the United States sells F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday
Erdogan’s announcement comes after months of negotiations between Turkey, Sweden, and the United States.
Turkey had been blocking Sweden’s accession to NATO over concerns about Sweden’s support for Kurdish separatists.
However, Erdogan has now said that Turkey will approve Sweden’s membership bid if the United States sells F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
The United States has been reluctant to sell fighter jets to Turkey due to Turkey’s human rights record and its close ties to Russia.
However, the United States is now under pressure from its allies to sell F-16s to Turkey in order to secure Turkey’s approval for Sweden’s membership in NATO.
It is unclear whether the United States will agree to Turkey. However, Erdogan’s announcement is a positive sign for Sweden’s NATO bid.