The UK signed a preliminary agreement on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey, a multibillion-dollar defense deal long held up by political tensions between Ankara and its NATO allies.

Turkey and the UK signed an MoU to advance Eurofighter Typhoon procurement after Germany reportedly approved the export of 40 jets to Ankara.

The German government has cleared the way for the export of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, removing a key obstacle to a major arms deal involving the United Kingdom. German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius confirmed in Berlin on Wednesday that the Defence Ministry has sent written authorization to Ankara.