His American government Joe Biden prepares to receive congressional approval for the sale of upgraded F-16s Turkey out of 20 billion dollars together with a separate sale F-35 in our country into one of the largest sales of American equipment in recent years.

This was reported by the Wall Street Journal in its article yesterday (WSJ), which attributes the exploration of Washington to American efforts to remove Turkish obstacles to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

The sale to Turkey, which the US has been mulling over for a year, is bigger than expected. It includes 40 new aircraft to upgrade an existing fleet of 79 F-16s, officials familiar with the proposals said. A congressional briefing is expected to coincide with his visit. Mevlut Cavusoglu next week in the US. The sale also includes 900 air-to-air missiles and 800 bombs. According to the paper, Congressional approval depends on Turkey’s agreement to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

A separate sale to Greece at the request of the Greek government last June includes “at least 30” F-35s, which are the most advanced U.S. fighter jets. While officials have spoken of a coincidence, it is clear that Athens’ possible response to Turkey’s F-16s will be denied if their own request is also granted. WSJ and emphasizes that Congress has never blocked the sale of weapons to a foreign country, as requested by the White House.

It is recalled that the Greek side has already taken the first steps to deliver the first twenty F-35s with an option to purchase another 20. actually the graphics are much shorter than this expected.

From the outset, Washington intended to respond to the letter before the Greek elections so that the F-35 program would not fall prey to political counterclaims.

A response letter will immediately start technical negotiations and – at least based on the current schedule – the first Greek F-35 will land at Araxos, Andravida, Larisa or Souda (basic discussions ongoing) at the end of the 2027-2028 period. the period during which the delivery of the first modernized F-16s to Turkey is expected.

This proposal makes possible a confrontation with some members of Congress who have pledged to oppose arms sales to Turkey. Senator Bean Menendezwho is and the head of the House Foreign Relations Committee said he would not approve any F-16 sales to Turkey, citing human rights concerns in the country.

Under US arms export laws, Congress will have 30 days to review the deal. If Congress wants to block it, it will have to vote against it in a joint resolution.

Congress has the power to enact legislation to block or modify a sale at any time before it occurs.