Turkey’s presidential spokesperson and the U.S. national security adviser discussed bilateral issues and global developments, including the Ukraine war, in a phone call on Monday.
Ibrahim Kalın and Jake Sullivan exchanged views on bilateral political and economic matters, defense and energy cooperation, developments in the Aegean and Mediterranean, and other regional issues, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.
On the Ukraine war, Kalın emphasized the need for concerted diplomatic efforts to mitigate the damage that the conflict has inflicted on peace and stability worldwide, as well as the global economy and energy and food security.
He reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to continue its diplomatic initiatives, including an extension to the landmark Istanbul agreement on Ukrainian grain shipments that expires in November.
He also conveyed Türkiye’s expectations regarding the “unconditional completion of the approval process of the F-16 procurement and modernization request by the U.S. Congress,” the statement said.
In a recent development welcomed by Ankara, two amendments making potential F-16 sales to Türkiye contingent on a series of conditions were removed from the Senate version of the relevant bill.
In his discussions with Sullivan, Kalın also reaffirmed that Türkiye will not hesitate to protect its legitimate rights and interests in the Aegean and Mediterranean.
He underlined that Greece must “put an end to its actions and provocative statements that disregard international law,” the statement added.