Athens is watching closely the outcomes and signals from Donald Trump’s meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Trump’s so-called “friendly attack” — including his statement that the U.S. would lift CAATSA sanctions against Turkey because he didn’t want to “drown” his friend Erdoğan in penalties — and his suggestion that Washington might reconsider selling F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, have been assessed in Athens as having little practical weight, “at least not at this moment.”
Greece Bets on the U.S. Congress
Athens is pinning its hopes on the U.S. Congress, the body legally empowered to approve defense sales. Congress has effectively imposed a veto on Turkey’s acquisition of the F-35 — primarily due to Ankara’s purchase and deployment of Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
Early Congressional Pushback Against Trump
Within hours of Trump’s controversial remarks in Ankara, eighteen Democratic members of Congress issued a strong response. In a letter addressed to both House Speaker Steve Scalise (Republican) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat), they urged readiness to deploy every available legislative tool to block any Trump administration decision in favor of Turkey.
No Timeline, No Commitment
Athens-based diplomatic circles noted pointedly that while Trump left open the possibility of Ankara rejoining the F-35 program, he avoided announcing any concrete decision or timeline — underscoring the ambiguity of his statements.
Turkey’s KAAN Jet Engines Likely to Proceed
Regarding U.S.-made engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter jets, Athens assesses that — barring a major unforeseen development — this deal is likely to move forward.
‘Greece Has Secured F-35s; Turkey Is Now Claiming Them’
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis (SKAI) stressed Greece’s tangible progress: under New Democracy’s 6.5-year governance, Greece has secured 20 state-of-the-art F-35s — with an option to increase that number to 40 — and upgraded its F-16 fleet to the advanced Viper standard. “Turkey was in the process of securing F-35s back in 2019; today, it’s demanding them,” Marinakis emphasized.
The Prime Minister’s Stance at the NATO Summit
The Greek Prime Minister attended the NATO summit in Ankara prepared to respond to any questions regarding U.S. defense procurement — as well as to Turkey’s requests for deeper involvement in the European defense initiative SAFE, or any other revisionist proposals Erdoğan might raise.
Greece’s Position on Defense Spending in the Alliance
On the central agenda item of defense expenditure within the Alliance —