U.S. Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel spoke about Turkiye’s requests to modernise F-16s and to acquire more. Answering A Turkish journalist’s question, spokesperson Patel said, “President Biden and Secretary Blinken have been very clear of our support for modernising Turkiye’s F-16 fleet, which we see as a key asset in NATO’s interoperability. But beyond that, we also recognise that Congress has a key role in reviewing arms sales. I’m not just going to confirm or get ahead of proposed defence sales or transfers until they are formally notified.
Turkish Parliament approved Sweden’s admission to NATO yesterday. There are two remaining steps. On Turkiye’s side, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must ratify the approval. On the other side, Hungary must approve Sweden’s accession to NATO as the last country that has refused.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the phone, stated that the government supports Sweden’s membership in NATO.
Orban stated about his phone call with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg on his social media account, “Just finished a phone call with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO-membership of Sweden. I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favour of Sweden’s accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity.”
