"I did have a pull-aside, informal conversation with President Biden and we did discuss F-16s. But when it comes to the F-16 aircraft, unfortunately, what they do is take this to Sweden [Sweden's accession to NATO]," Erdogan said after the summit, adding that Ankara was upset by such an approach.
Sweden "should fulfill the duties it has to fulfill," the Turkish leader said, adding that if it fails to do so, he would be "bound by resolution" coming from the Turkish parliament.
In April 2021, the United States excluded Turkiye from the F-35 program after Ankara purchased Russia's S-400 air defense systems. Erdogan said later that year that Washington had offered that Ankara buy F-16 jets instead, one generation behind the F-35s. However, the deal needs approval from the US Congress, with many lawmakers strongly opposing the initiative, in particular, due to Turkey's position on Sweden's NATO bid.
Sweden, along with Finland, submitted its NATO application in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Finland became a member of the alliance in April 2023. Apart from Turkiye, Sweden's application is still pending ratification by Hungary.