ISTANBUL, 18 October 2021, (TON): President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “Turkey was in talks with the United States to buy F-16 fighter jets after it was kicked off the F-35 programme for purchasing a Russian missile defence system.”
Washington excluded Ankara from NATO's F-35 stealth fighter jet programme in 2019 after Turkey purchased Russian S-400 defence air systems in defiance of warnings from its Western allies.
The acquisition has imperilled Turkish-US relations and blocked Turkey's plans to purchase about 100 of the F-35 fighters.
Turkey is now seeking compensation for its ouster from the US-led programme, including for a $1.4 billion payment it had made before its removal.
Turkey's purchase of F-16 jets from America is "of course linked to the F-35s issue", Erdogan told reporters at an Istanbul airport before embarking on an Africa tour.
He said the US had offered Turkey in return to sell F-16s to upgrade its air force fleet.
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