French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu has officially stated that France will not intervene in Türkiye’s Meteor missile acquisition, contrary to Greece’s expectations.
Lecornu answered a question about selling Meteor missiles to Türkiye at a session of the French Parliament’s (Assemblée Nationale) Defence Committee on February 18, 2025. Although he admitted Greece had asked France to stop the transaction, he underlined the issue was beyond France’s hands.
We do not control British arms exports. Do we have a role in this matter? No. We are not the ones selling the platform to Türkiye,” Lecornu stated.
Emphasising France’s own national interests, the minister further summed up this position as, “France is always on the right side—on the side of the French people.” “I believe we have no alternative but to use diplomacy, persuasion, and above all, find a way for everyone to engage in dialogue to reach a solution,” he said, suggesting Greece has no option but to accept the circumstances. "I will visit Athens shortly to review all these issues with my Greek colleague.”
Greece procured Meteor missiles alongside its Rafale fighter jets. The missile, powered by a ramjet engine, enables sustained supersonic speeds, maintaining energy until impact. This capability forces airborne early warning and tanker aircraft to operate further from the frontline. Türkiye’s planned acquisition of Meteor missiles for its Eurofighter jets would mean that Greece would no longer hold a long-term advantage in this regard. In its efforts to block Türkiye’s procurement, Greece engaged in a series of diplomatic moves that ultimately backfired. Additionally, Greece raised concerns over Türkiye’s development of the Gökhan missile, a domestic alternative to Meteor. Greek authorities claimed that Türkiye might use reverse engineering to integrate Meteor’s technology into its own systems.
