ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said problems over the F-35 jet programme will be the main topic at his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden later in Glasgow, state media reported on Wednesday.
Turkey, a manufacturer and buyer of the F-35s, was expelled from the programme over its purchase of Russian defences. It says its removal is unjust and has demanded reimbursement for a $1.4-billion investment in the programme.
Erdogan has said Washington offered Ankara a package of F-16 jets and modernisation kits in exchange for the payment, but the United States has said it offered no such financial plan.
“The information we received is that there is a payment plan of some sort with them,” state-run Anadolu news agency cited him as telling reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan.
“Whether this is true or not, we will find out from them. It will be good for me to discuss this with Mr. Biden at the highest level. If so, we will go for a deal in that regard.”
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
