Subscribers: Gallego talks NATO expansion, Turkey after trip to Finland, Baltic states
Rep. Ruben Gallego recently visited the Baltic region and Helsinki in support of Finland's bid to join NATO.
One NATO member, Turkey, is holding up the group's absorption of Finland and Sweden. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is stalling the applications of both countries mainly because of Sweden, which has granted asylum to members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK. Turkey considers them to be a terrorist organization.
Erdoğan delaying the applications might be a way for Turkey to try to regain access to U.S fighter jets. Three years ago, Congress refused to sell F-35s and later F-16 jets to Turkey after Erdogan contracted with the Kremlin for its S-400 missile defense system.
Gallego was critical in securing $180 million to pay for things such as technology to destroy tanks and large caliber ammunition.