Türkiye, Finland and Sweden had reached an agreement on a way forward on the matter last June. Last month, however, after a Danish politician in Stockholm burned a copy of the holy book Quran, Ankara suspended the talks.

A bipartisan group of senators in the US Congress \said that Washington will not support the $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye until Ankara ratifies the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland. Last year, after President Vladimir Putin of Russia launched 'special military operations' against Ukraine that soon shaped into a full-fledged war, Sweden and Helsinki sought to join trans-Atlantic defence pact. It soon faced resistance from Türkiye that continues till present.

Why Türkiye Is Opposing Finland, Sweden's NATO Bid?

Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terror group by Türkiye and the European Union. Türkiye also wants the two countries to geopolitically assert against another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.

The three nations reached an agreement on a way forward in Madrid last June. Last month, however, after a Danish politician in Stockholm burned a copy of the holy book Quran, Ankara suspended the talks.

Finland, Sweden's NATO Bid: What Did Bipartisan Group of US Senators Say?

In a letter to President Joe Biden, 29 Democratic and Republican senators said that Finland and Sweden were making "full and good faith efforts" to meet the conditions for NATO membership that Turkiye asked.

Ankara, however, says that Sweden needs to do more.

"Once the NATO accession protocols are ratified by Turkiye, Congress can consider the sale of F-16 fighter jets. A failure to do so, however, would call into question this pending sale," the senators wrote.

It was the first time Congress explicitly and directly linked the F-16 sale to Turkey with the NATO accession bids of the two Nordic countries.

Turkiye has said it could approve Finland's NATO membership application ahead of Sweden's. However, leaders of Finland and Sweden have rejected this idea, saying that the security of the two Nordic countries is mutually dependent.

Of NATO's 30 members, only Turkiye and Hungary have yet to ratify the Nordic countries' memberships.