The sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey has been “approved” by the US Congress, ending months of negotiations between Washington and Ankara, the US ambassador to Turkey announced on Sunday.

“The decision (…) by Congress to approve Turkey’s purchase of 40 F-16 aircraft and 79 upgrade kits is a big step forward,” Ambassador Jeff Flake said in a statement released by the US Embassy in Ankara. Social networks X, quoted by AFP.

The US government approved the $23 billion sale on January 26, three days after Ankara ratified Sweden’s entry into NATO.

The US Congress, which was notified the same day of the sale demanded by Turkey, had a fifteen-day deadline, which had expired, to oppose it.

The United States waited until Turkey’s ratification documents for Sweden’s NATO membership were physically deposited in Washington before giving the green light, a US official said, reflecting the highly sensitive nature of the negotiations leading up to the deal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has blocked Sweden’s entry into the Atlantic alliance for 20 months, made Sweden’s entry conditional on “simultaneous” US approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to his country (Agerpres).