Washington: Completing the F-16 fighter jet deal with Turkey is in the interest of US national security

A letter from the US State Department to Congress revealed that the Biden administration believes that "completing the sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey will be in the interest of US national security, and will also serve NATO unity in the long term."

The US State Department said in a letter to Congress that the Biden administration believes that "completion of the sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey will be in the interests of US national security, and will also serve NATO's long-term unit," according to Reuters.

Last October, Turkey submitted a request to the United States to purchase 40 F-16 fighters produced by Lockheed Martin and about 80 modernization kits for its current combat aircraft.

Washington has so far refrained from clarifying its position on the deal, citing the need to satisfy the standard arms sale.

The aforementioned Foreign Ministry letter was issued on March 17, and signed by the acting chief legislative officer, Naz Durakoglu, who, despite speaking about the tense relations between Ankara and Washington, described Turkey's support for Ukraine and its defense relations as an "important deterrent to security threats in the region."

The letter does not provide any guarantees or a timetable for the sale, but it does stress that Washington does not need to take further "punitive measures" against Ankara after its purchase of the Russian S-400 defense systems.