Senators Uphold F-16 Sale to Turkey, Clearing Path for Sweden's NATO Bid
• Senators declined to block sale of F-16s to Turkey, upholding informal agreement that Turkey would get jets if it stopped blocking Sweden joining NATO
• Turkey demanded fighter jets in exchange for dropping opposition to Sweden's NATO membership bid
• Senators acknowledged concerns with Turkey's human rights record, attacks on U.S. allies, support for Azerbaijan, and ties with Russia
• But said adding Sweden to NATO was too strategically important to allow Turkey to derail
• State Department approved $23 billion sale of F-16s to Turkey just hours after Turkey dropped opposition to Sweden joining NATO