WASHINGTON — US Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., slammed Turkey as an "unfaithful ally" on Tuesday and called on the Senate to consider efforts to block F-16 sales to the country. Van Hollen made the comments during an Al-Monitor PRO event, where he addressed the new Israeli government, China's influence in the Gulf, and other regional issues as well. 

Van Hollen said that Turkey has been an “important partner” for NATO in the past, but he criticized the Turkish government on a variety of current issues, including threats to invade northern Syria. The senator said the United States and the European Union should consider sanctioning Turkey if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thwarts Sweden's candidacy for membership in NATO.

“We need to be working in more coordination with our EU partners and considering, potentially, different kinds of sanctions if Erdogan continues to block the entry (into NATO) of Finland and Sweden,” said Van Hollen. 

Turkey has opposed Sweden’s NATO bid in particular, pointing to the presence of Kurdish groups opposed to Turkey in the country. Sweden has a large Kurdish population. Most recently, the Turkish government lashed out at a Quran-burning protest in the country.