No deal to sell F-16s to Turkey yet - key US senator

Jim Risch, a leading member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that there is no deal to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey yet.

He said this for CNN.

According to Senator Risch, the F-16 deal is not yet in writing.

"All of this will remain unclear until each side says: "This is what we're going to do, and this is what we're going to do. We haven't agreed yet, but we will," he said.

At the same time, a key member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, noted that Turkey's statement on dropping its objections to Sweden's accession to NATO is "a significant step forward in addressing the concerns" that he and "many members of Congress have about the approval of significant arms packages for Turkey."

"Along with ensuring Sweden's accession to NATO without further delay, I called on Turkey to stop its violations of Greek sovereignty - both in the air and at sea - and to engage in dialogue to de-escalate tensions," he emphasized.

In addition, the congressman expressed hope that Turkey would fulfill its obligations to fully implement sanctions against entities that provide sensitive military equipment to the Russian Federation, as well as stop laundering Russian money and stop striking Syrian Kurdish allies of the United States.

Author - Olena Madiak, 13/07/2023