US Congress Threatens to Block F-16 Deal with Turkey

A Turkish F-16 fighter jet participates in an air show in Istanbul on September 21, 2021. (EPA)
A Turkish F-16 fighter jet participates in an air show in Istanbul on September 21, 2021. (EPA)
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US Congress Threatens to Block F-16 Deal with Turkey

A Turkish F-16 fighter jet participates in an air show in Istanbul on September 21, 2021. (EPA)
A Turkish F-16 fighter jet participates in an air show in Istanbul on September 21, 2021. (EPA)

Members of the US Congress have threatened to block any possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

The lawmakers wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressing their strong opposition to any similar approach due to “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies and his rapprochement with Russia.”

The lawmakers, led by Democrat Carolyn Maloney and Republican Gus Bilirakis, expressed “concern” over reports issued by Turkey on its plan to purchase “40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.”

They affirmed their intention to block any arms deal once it is introduced to the Congress, noting that “Erdogan continues to violate US laws and the NATO principles.”

The letter mentioned the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), a federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was approved by the Senate in July 2017 after it passed the House.

In late 2020, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction with Russia’s main arms export entity, by procuring the S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

Turkey defied this law when it purchased the S-400 system from Russia, the letter stressed, pointing to the efforts to try to reach a solution that prevents sanctions against Ankara.

“Less than a year after the CAATSA sanctions were imposed, Erdogan’s government doesn’t seem to be willing to respect US laws, consider reasons behind expelling Turkey from the F-35 program or address causes of the Congress’s freeze of arms sales to Turkey.”

Instead, Erdogan announced in September that Ankara still intended to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia.

The lawmakers called for imposing additional sanctions on Turkey if it goes ahead with purchasing the new system from Russia, a position approved by the US ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake.



Russia Focusing Airstrikes on Ukraine Draft Offices to Derail Recruitment, Kyiv Says

A view shows ruins of buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), which was destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 1, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows ruins of buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), which was destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 1, 2025. (Reuters)
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Russia Focusing Airstrikes on Ukraine Draft Offices to Derail Recruitment, Kyiv Says

A view shows ruins of buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), which was destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 1, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows ruins of buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), which was destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 1, 2025. (Reuters)

Russia killed two people in an airstrike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava on Thursday and damaged a military draft office there in what Kyiv said was a concerted campaign to disrupt recruitment for its war effort.

The strike on Poltava, which also injured 47 people and caused a fire at the city's main draft office, followed a drone attack on Monday near a recruitment center in Kryvyi Rih. Both cities are regional capitals.

"We understand that their (Russian) goal is to disrupt the mobilisation process," Vitaliy Sarantsev, a spokesperson for Ukraine's ground forces, told Ukraine's public broadcaster, Reuters reported.

"But I want to say that...it is too early (for Russia) to uncork the champagne because the process is impossible to stop."

Ukraine has struggled to fend off a bigger and better-equipped Russian army, and its call-up process has been marred by reports of draft-office corruption, poor training and weak battlefield command.

Well into the fourth year of its full-scale invasion, Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and repeatedly hit cities far behind the front lines with drones and missiles, while also waging a sabotage campaign there, Kyiv's domestic security agency says.

In a statement to Reuters last month, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had arrested more than 700 people since 2024 for alleged crimes that included arson attacks on troop vehicles and bombings at draft offices.

A Ukrainian security official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Russia was aiming to derail Kyiv's military call-up effort also by spreading disinformation and hacking recruitment office computers.

"The disruption of mobilisation is closely linked to the spread of panic and intimidation of the population," the source said, adding that bombings were part of the general strategy.

INTENSIFYING STRIKES

Russian forces have also stepped up strikes on military training grounds in recent weeks, prompting Kyiv's top general to order a strengthening of security measures at bases.

A missile attack on southeastern Ukraine this week killed a brigade commander. Ukrainian forces have also staged longer-range attacks on Russian bases in occupied territory as well as deep inside Russia.

Thursday's strike on Poltava came after the US said it had paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, which drew warnings in Kyiv that the move would harm Ukraine's defence against intensifying Russian air strikes and battlefield gains.

Separately on Thursday, two people were killed in a ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, said regional governor Oleh Kiper.

Dozens of people have been killed in recent drone and missile salvoes at Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.