Greece arms itself while lobbying against fighter jet sale to Türkiye

Athens is reinforcing its defenses while hoping its allies in the United States will prevent neighboring Türkiye from strengthening its military, pursuing a key defense deal with Israel while opposing the sale of fighter jets to Türkiye.

Turkish-Greek relations have been on the right track for the past couple of years, but tensions remain palpable, especially in light of Athens’ escalating defense spending. This is tied to what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as an “open threat of war” from Türkiye during the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month.

Weeks after his remarks, Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) convened on Thursday to give final approval for the purchase of a multilayered air defense system from Israel worth up to 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion), along with several types of drones, two sources told Reuters. KYSEA gave its initial approval earlier this year and is expected to finalize the procurement contracts, an official familiar with the deal told Reuters.

Greece wants to build a multilayered anti-ballistic, anti-aircraft and anti-drone system called the “Achilles Shield.” The system will be built around Israeli radars and missiles manufactured by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Greek government has said it plans to spend about 28 billion euros by 2036 to modernize its armed forces, including purchasing up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the United States and frigates from France and Italy.

Greece spends nearly 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defense, a higher proportion than many of its NATO allies. Reflecting their close economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training center in Greece, conduct annual joint military exercises, and cooperate on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity. Last year, Greece approved the purchase of 36 Israeli-made rocket artillery systems for about 650 million euros. “KYSEA will also approve the purchase of drones from the U.S. and Israel,” the official said. A second official confirmed the details regarding the Israeli air defense system and the drone purchases. Greece currently relies on U.S.-made Patriot systems and Russian-made S-300 systems to protect its airspace.

Thousands of miles away, Athens is hoping one NATO ally will help it counter another. The International Coordinating Committee-Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), a Greek American grassroots organization, is campaigning to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed clear support for the sale during his visit to Türkiye for the NATO summit earlier this month. Standing alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the joint news conference in Ankara, Trump said the U.S. was prepared to lift sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and would consider Türkiye’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program. The sanctions were imposed after Türkiye purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, prompting Washington to remove Ankara from the multinational F-35 program in 2019.

Earlier this week, PSEKA announced that it had sent letters to Congress warning of what it described as the “clear and present danger” posed by the sale of F-35s to Türkiye. The organization argued that such a sale would increase the vulnerability of its allies, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, to Türkiye’s threats.

Türkiye and Greece have pursued a rapprochement after decades of hostility, but longstanding disputes continue to complicate relations. Chief among them is the disagreement over maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea. Greece’s attempts to expand its territorial waters led Türkiye to declare a casus belli, or cause for war, in the 1990s, and that declaration remains in force.

In an interview with Greece’s ERT earlier this month, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said the casus belli had been a “huge burden” on bilateral relations and that it was “long overdue” for Türkiye to revoke the declaration it made in the 1990s.

The two countries, which came close to war over the Aegean during that decade, remain vigilant. While Türkiye has focused on developing its domestic defense industry, Greece has continued to rely on foreign partners to strengthen its military capabilities. Pursuing a doctrine centered on maintaining an effective and powerful navy, Türkiye has spent the past two decades building an indigenous defense industry capable of operating in blue-water environments, shifting regional geopolitical dynamics in its favor. Its navy plays a critical role in securing maritime trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea while supporting regional stability.

DAILYSABAH