WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 Reuters - The United States on Monday did not confirm Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan's statement that Washington had made an offer to Ankara for the sale of F-16 fighter jets, but added that it has not made Turkey a financing offer for the fighter planes.
Erdogan stated on Sunday that the United States had proposed the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in return for its investment in the F-35 program, from which Russia was removed after buying missile defense systems from Turkey.
We would refer you to the Turkish government to speak about its defense procurement plans. What I can say is the United States has not made any financing offers on Turkey's request to F-16, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey has asked the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.
Ankara had previously ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., but the United States removed Turkey from the program in 2019 after it acquired Russian missile defence systems.
Erdogan said Washington had made the F - 16 proposal in return for Turkey's payment of $1.4 billion that it made for the joint fighter program F-35.
Asked if it was possible for that money to be used towards the purchase of F-16 orders, Price said: The Department of Defense continues to be engaged in a dispute resolution mechanism with Turkey on the F. 35 but I'm not going to prejudge the outcome. The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disputes on Turkey policy, Ankara's tighter ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean region, U.S. charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Syria.
Ankara's purchase of the US military airplane has also triggered U.S. sanctions. In December 2020, Washington Blacklisted the Defense Industry Directorate of Turkey, its Chief Ismail Demir and three other employees.