Secretary of State Antony Blinken wasted no time after Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory in Turkey’s presidential election.
Speaking in the northern Swedish town of Lulea, Blinken urged Turkey to finalize Sweden’s NATO accession. Angry at Sweden for tolerating both Kurdish political activism and for offering refuge to expatriate Turkish journalists, Erdogan earlier used Turkey’s veto to block NATO consensus unless Sweden met a number of demands unrelated to NATO’s mission.
While Blinken publicly denied any link between Sweden’s NATO accession and delivery of F-16s, Biden has suggested a quid pro quo, as have State Department officials speaking to members of Congress whose support is needed to green-light the sale.
Ex Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Kostarakis dies at 67
The Biden administration may believe that Sweden’s accession is the paramount interest for NATO, but the White House push to continue to bargain with Turkey over Sweden is a huge mistake. At best, trading F-16s and F-16 upgrades to Turkey in exchange for Erdogan lifting his veto on Sweden would be a pyrrhic victory.
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