Biden seeking formula for Turkish F-16s
Ankara openly linking Sweden’s NATO accession to jets, as White House sounds out Congress
The White House is trying to figure out the intentions of the US Congress and how they will be shaped in case Sweden’s accession to NATO is approved before the NATO Summit in July.
The fact that contacts about the Turkish F-16s, usually conducted through the State Department, are being made by the White House indicates the heightened interest of US President Joe Biden.
Tellingly, in phone discussions with Congress members involved with international arms sales, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has been exploring the prospects for weakening the objections.
However, the standard response that Sullivan is reportedly receiving is that Sweden is not the only issue but there must be a comprehensive policy change.
This is only making matters even more difficult for the White House to find a solution as it cannot guarantee either to Congress that Turkey’s change of position on a number of issues will be permanent, or to Turkey that after Sweden’s accession the fighters will automatically be approved. This was apparently the context of the phone conversation between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Blinken reportedly told Fidan that removing the barriers for Sweden in the upcoming weeks would bolster attempts for an understanding with Congress.
Meanwhile, the Turkish apparatus in Washington is making behind-the-scenes overtures to members of Congress, who have let it be known that lifting Turkish objections to Sweden would create a favorable climate for the sale of the fighters. The role of these officials does not at present allow any intervention in support of the Turkish position, but an effort is being made to forge a core of support which may prove helpful down the line.
The Turkish activity is being offset by the reactivation of the Greek-American lobby with a barrage of letters, actions and contacts. The effectiveness of these moves is reflected in the response given by the most powerful player in the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who told Greek Americans that Turkey poses a significant threat to global stability and that everything must be done to resist its aggression in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. He added that the notion that the US must trust Turkey to respect global norms and international order is not only dangerous, but puts the security of the US and its allies at risk.
