UAE suspends talks over F-35s, US responds
The UAE has suspended talks with the US to acquire F-35s due to “technical requirements, sovereign and operational restrictions, and a cost-benefit assessment”.
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An Emirati official told CNN yesterday: “The UAE and the US worked to reach an understanding that would address the joint security and defense conditions for the acquisition [of the planes]”, he said.
The UAE official continued: “The U.S. remains the preferred provider of U.A.E. defense requirements, and F-35 negotiations may be revived in the future”.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken revealed that his country’s readiness to proceed with the sale of F-35s to the UAE if they are still interested, according to Reuters.
Earlier this morning during his visit to Malaysia, Blinken said: “Washington is willing to go ahead with the sale of F-35 fighter jets and Emirati-guided aircraft, if it still wants to”.
The United States has confirmed more than once since President Joe Biden arrived in the White House that it is determined to complete the deal with the UAE side.
U.S. assertions were reinforced by the Pentagon, which emphasized that the partnership with the UAE is more strategic and more complex than any arms sale.
