Information released by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini suggests the United States is modifying its position on the sale of F-35 fighter fighters to Türkiye.
Although Greece had tried to connect even the sale of improved F-16 Viper fighters to Türkiye with more general Aegean concerns before it started the "No Jet to Turkey" campaign in the United States, recent events indicate the trend is changing. Mixed signals from Washington have fuelled fresh worries in Athens over the possible readmission of Türkiye into the F-35 program.
Until recently, the US strategy was to provide Greece with F-35s to preserve its technical advantage; Türkiye was restricted to modernising its F-16 force. This strategy sought to offset Türkiye's numerical airpower edge with Greece's qualitative superiority. However, well-informed sources quoted by Kathimerini said that recent talks between US and Greek officials have raised the idea of "parity" in defence ties with both NATO partners.
Significantly, the Pentagon said there has been a substantial change in US policy by no longer considering Türkiye's possible comeback to the F-35 program as a danger to the military balance in the Aegean. This shift raises uncertainty for Athens and leaves future events open-ended.
US authorities have pointed to past White House talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to Greek worries when attempts to limit military supplies to Türkiye, notably F-35s, allegedly lost steam. Though Washington has admitted common Greek-Israeli perspectives on Turkish regional policy, final choices are viewed as dependent much on presidential will; President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan still has close personal relations with President Donald Trump.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
