Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Thursday that Athens would oppose any US decision to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, warning that such a move could undermine stability in the Eastern Mediterranean unless clear safeguards are attached, according to Greek media.
“Let me be honest. Greece is not happy for Turkey to get the F-35, Greece is not happy with Turkey getting engines for a new generation aircraft,” Dendias said at an Economist conference in Athens.
He said Greece was not seeking to dictate US arms sales policy but wanted Washington to consider whether giving Turkey access to the advanced fighter jet was in the United States’ best interests.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias:
Greece is not happy for Türkiye to get the F-35. Greece is not happy with Türkiye getting engines for a new-generation aircraft.
We’re asking one question: Is it in the real interests of the United States of America? Yes or no? And, of… pic.twitter.com/jrZC5rO6AF
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 9, 2026
“Our general approach to that is, we are not to judge what the United States of America is doing and to whom they are selling. That is the business of the US government,” Dendias said. “We are just asking one question: Is it in the real interest of the US, yes or no?”
Dendias said NATO unity and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean should be central to Washington’s calculations.
“Giving a platform to one country in the Eastern Mediterranean without the caveat that this cannot be used against another allied member, is it in the interest of the US or not?” he asked.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump suggested during this week’s NATO summit in Ankara that Washington could lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defense system, a step that could pave the way for renewed talks on the F-35s.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after it acquired the S-400s from Russia. Washington said the Russian system could compromise the security of the fifth-generation aircraft.
The dispute also led to sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, (CAATSA), targeting Turkey’s defense procurement agency and several officials.
The US Congress has placed restrictions on Turkey’s return to the F-35 program, arguing that the S-400s pose a security risk to the aircraft and to NATO.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry welcomed Trump’s remarks on Thursday, saying Ankara expected the removal of the CAATSA sanctions and “all open or covert restrictions” on its defense industry.
“Turkey, as a strong and effective NATO ally, continues to make important contributions to the alliance’s deterrence and common security,” the ministry said.
It said the sanctions and restrictions were “incompatible with the spirit of alliance” and that Ankara favored “mutual trust and solidarity” among allies.
Responding to Greek objections, the ministry said, “We once again remind that the Turkish Armed Forces are not a threat to anyone who does not pose a threat to them.”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also expressed concern this week about a possible F-35 sale to Turkey, although he avoided directly commenting on Trump’s remarks.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Mitsotakis said alliance unity depended on respect for international law and on taking into account the security concerns of all members.
🇬🇷 Greek Prime Minister, responding at the NATO summit to a question on the possible arming of Turkey with F-35 fighter jets:
“An alliance needs to be based on the fundamental principle of good neighbourly relations. At a time when my country is still faced with an open threat… pic.twitter.com/I5qytKQuOj
— Ictinus ®️ (@ictinus_x) July 8, 2026
He also referred to Turkey’s longstanding threat to consider any Greek extension of its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea to 12 nautical miles a cause for war.
Athens says such an extension is its right under international law.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rejected criticism from Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has also opposed a possible US sale of F-35s to Turkey.
“Both statements have no place in my world,” Erdoğan told reporters after the NATO summit on Wednesday.
He said Mitsotakis “should not have made such a mistake,” adding that Turkey had not objected to Greece’s own defense purchases.
“Did we ever say to Mr. Mitsotakis, ‘Why are you buying these defense systems for Greece?’” Erdoğan said. “He is our next-door neighbor. We could have said such things, but there is no need. He can buy and sell.”
“Turkey has the right to buy these systems as well as produce them,” Erdoğan added.
Erdoğan said Wednesday that Trump had given Turkey “a promise” on the F-35 issue and that Ankara expected a “favorable decision.”
Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, have long been at odds over maritime boundaries, airspace, energy exploration and the divided island of Cyprus. Although they have maintained a dialogue in recent years, Athens remains concerned that the advanced US-made aircraft could alter the balance of power in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece has already moved ahead with its own F-35 acquisition. The United States approved the sale of up to 40 F-35 fighter jets to Greece in 2024 as part of Athens’s efforts to modernize its armed forces.
