US Not Supplying F-16 Fighters to Turkey Despite Payment, Says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the United States is sending F-16 fighter jets to Greece, while refusing to supply them to Turkey, despite Ankara already having allocated funds for the purchase. This information was reported by the Hurriyet newspaper.

“While we are not receiving our F-16s, even though we have paid for them, they continue to send those fighter jets to Greece. For that reason alone, we probably have no reason to retreat,” Erdogan said to reporters aboard the plane while returning from the UAE.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a defense budget amendment last July that prohibits the U.S. administration from selling new F-16 fighters and modernization components to Turkey as long as Turkish aircraft violate Greek airspace.