WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Financial Times) -- The Biden administration has expressed public support for Turkey's purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets after Ankara dropped its objections to Finland and Sweden's bids to join NATO.
Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said the U.S. "fully supports" Turkey's plans to modernize its F-16 fleet in comments that represents Washington's strongest public backing for the request since it was lodged by Ankara last October. With relations between the two countries fraught, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused the U.S. of "stalling tactics."
