WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Democratic and Republican US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden's administration not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and said they were confident that Congress would block any such exports.
In a letter to Mr Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 11 members of the House of Representatives cited "a profound sense of concern" about recent reports that Turkey may purchase 40 new Lockheed Martin F-16s and 80 F-16 modernisation kits.
The letter was dated Oct 25 and reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.
"Following President (Tayyip) Erdogan's September announcement that Turkey will purchase an additional tranche of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, we cannot afford to compromise our national security by sending US-manufactured aircraft to a treaty ally which continues to behave like an adversary," the lawmakers wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A State Department spokesman said the department does not comment on correspondence with Congress.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey had made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernisation kits for its existing warplanes.
Ankara had also previously ordered more than 100 Lockheed Martin F-35s, but the US removed Turkey from the programme in 2019 after it acquired the Russian S-400s.
The letter was led by Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis and Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney.
"While we are confident that Congress will stand together to block any such exports should these plans progress, the United States cannot afford to transfer any advanced military equipment to the government of Turkey at this time," the letter said.
The partnership between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies has gone through tumult in the past five years over disagreements on Syria, Ankara's closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the Mediterranean, US charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.
