State Department OKS sale of F-16 jets to Turkey

The State Department notified Congress on Friday that it had approved a $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets and related equipment to Turkey after the country’s leader signed documents to allow Sweden’s longdelayed entry into NATO, department officials and the Pentagon said.

Although Congress could move to formally block the sale, four senior lawmakers told the State Department on Friday evening that they would not object, after their aides reviewed the documents signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. officials said.

The department’s formal notification to Congress means the sale will almost certainly occur, satisfying Erdogan’s main condition for supporting Sweden’s accession to NATO and potentially helping bring to a close an episode that has strained relations between the United States and Turkey.