Vassilis Nedos

Discussions over the possible sale of US-made General Electric engines for Turkey's domestically designed KAAN fighter jet have reemerged as part of broader negotiations concerning Ankara's efforts to rejoin the F-35 fifth-generation fighter program.

In recent weeks, diplomatic activity in Libya has been intense, both in Tripoli, where the Government of National Unity under Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is based, and in Benghazi, eastern Libya, which is the headquarters of Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Assembly. Massad Boulos, a special adviser at the US State Department for Arab and African affairs, was visiting the country divided by civil war at the same time as European officials who are attempting to join the race to exploit Libya's energy resources, as well as Turks, who realize that the country has begun to attract the biggest players, including China.

According to NATO estimates, Greece must spend some €600 million in the remaining months of 2026 to assist Ukraine.

As NATO prepares to meet in Ankara on Tuesday, Greece is closely watching whether the summit yields new US commitments to Turkey on defense cooperation, while broader Alliance discussions on security, defense production and support for Ukraine highlight Ankara's growing importance to NATO, the United States and the European Union.

Greece is a country whose economy “produces” approximately €250 billion per year at current prices, according to data for 2025 from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). And the defense industry contributes a negligible 0.5% or so to this gross domestic product per year. This explains why the lion's share of the money paid by Greek taxpayers for defense is ultimately channelled into foreign companies, be they American, French, German, Israeli, Brazilian or others.

Announcements made by US President Donald Trump in Ankara on Tuesday regarding the possibility of Turkey's return to the F-35 program are the product of lengthy, slow-moving processes that have been underway since the first weeks of his return to the White House. Arriving at the NATO summit, Trump said on Tuesday he would lift sanctions on Turkey and make a decision ‌on a potential sale of F-35s to Ankara.

Mitsotakis raises casus belli, F-35s, links NATO cohesion to addressing sensitivities among members

Greece is conveying its concerns to the US over the potential return of Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program, while emphasizing that weapons sold to one ally should not be used against another, according to senior diplomatic sources.

A complex negotiation involving Washington, Ankara and Moscow is gathering momentum as efforts advance to reopen a path for Turkey's return to the F-35 fighter jet program, a development that is raising concerns in Athens over potential changes to the military balance in the Aegean.

Turkey and Egypt are moving to deepen their bilateral relationship in defense cooperation and the defense industry, underscored by agreements signed during the first visit in nearly 13 years by Egypt’s minister of defense and military production to Ankara.