The White House has given its approval to the sale of 40 new F-16 planes and equipment to modernize Turkey's current F-16 fleet of 79 planes after Congress initially gave the go-ahead.
"My approval of Turkey's request to buy F-16 aircraft has been conditional on Turkish approval of Sweden's NATO membership. But don't get me wrong: this was not a decision I made lightly," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Democrat Ben Cardin said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
NATO member Turkey has long wanted to upgrade its F-16 fleet and has repeatedly linked a NATO entry for Sweden with a requirement for permission from the United States to buy new planes.
Some concern remains
The sale has been a hotly debated issue in the US. Several senior members of Congress have been concerned about how Turkey will use them against its neighbors. One point has been Turkey's airstrikes on Kurdish militias in northern Syria that have been working with the United States to fight the IS terror group.
Ben Cardin commented on the concerns after the decision was made on Friday local time. In a statement, he said there remains some concern about Turkey's actions but that he approved the sale based on Turkey's commitment to improve it.
"I look forward to opening a new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance and standing up with our global allies against Russia's ongoing aggression against its peaceful neighbor," Cardin said.