Wed 29 June 2022:
On the eve of the NATO Summit in Madrid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and US President Joe Biden had a meeting.
In addition to thanking Erdoan for his support in securing Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, Biden praised him for his efforts to get the grain out of Ukraine.
Erdoğan, for his part, said that the steps to be taken on NATO’s reinforcement “will especially contribute” during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He added that he hopes diplomacy will help open doors to get the grain out of Ukraine.
“We are trying to solve the issue with a balanced policy, and we hope to have results with it,” he said.
Support for Türkiye’s F-16 fleet
The Pentagon is backing Türkiye’s modernization plans for its F-16 fighter jet fleet, Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs said Wednesday.
Speaking on a call with National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, Wallander called Ankara a “highly capable, highly valued, strategic NATO ally,” noting that “strong Turkish defense capabilities contribute to strong NATO defense capabilities.”
“So, the US Department of Defense fully supports Turkey’s modernization plans for its F-16 fleet. These plans are in the works,” she told reporters.
Wallander said the modernization of the fleet is a contribution to NATO security and therefore American security.
The Turkish government requested the F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021.
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