Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will shortly hold a meeting at the US State Department with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid terse relations over Turkey's stance on Russia and the NATO bids of Sweden and Finland.
- The meeting is expected to focus on Turkey’s
request for the purchase of F-16 fighter planes which is currently stalled due to objections from the US Congress.
- Analysts don’t expect movement significant movement on the Nordic NATO bids until after the Turkish general election in May.
- The US and Turkey relationship is experiencing strain due to Ankara's willingness to strike a foreign policy path which has put it increasingly at odds with Washington.
- Blinken will likely push Turkey on its more problematic policy positions, including bellicose rhetoric directed at
NATO-ally Greece, a stated willingness to launch a military operation against US-backed Kurdish groups in Syria, and a deepening “sanction busting” economic relationship with
Russia.
- In June, President Biden rejected the prospect of F-16s being sold to Turkey as part of a quid pro quo to unlock the Nordic NATO bids.