26.06.2025 11:21
President Erdoğan's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the NATO Leaders Summit held in The Hague has alarmed Greece. The Greek press, reporting that Trump approved Erdoğan's requests for F-35s, Meteors, and Eurofighters, headlined, "Turkey is making a strong comeback."
During the NATO Leaders Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, President Erdoğan's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump drew the world's attention to Turkey regarding the F-35s, while Eurofighter and Meteor also came up in bilateral discussions.
GREECE IS CONCERNED
Trump's approval of President Erdoğan's three requests has put Greece on alert. The Greek defense news site Geo Stratigika headlined, "F-35 back on Turkey's agenda, 'goodwill' signal from Trump, alongside Eurofighter target," and made the following comments: "Speaking at NATO's summit in The Hague, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced positive developments indicating that Turkey is returning strongly to the field in defense procurements. The Turkish President confirmed that talks are ongoing with the United Kingdom and Germany for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, and he also mentioned that a positive atmosphere has emerged regarding Turkey's return to the F-35 program during his meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
"CRITICAL STEP FOR TURKEY'S PLANNED IRON DOME"
Another striking detail is that the issue of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, which led to Turkey's removal from the F-35 program, was not brought up in these discussions at all. Meanwhile, while Ankara continues to modernize its F-16 fleet, it has also put the acquisition of the SAMP/T air defense system from the Eurosam consortium back on the agenda. This system is seen as a critical step for Turkey's planned 'iron dome' type air defense umbrella, which it aims to establish within the next three years. It is reported that Erdoğan has asked French President Emmanuel Macron to stop blocking this agreement. Looking at the overall picture, Turkey appears determined to increase its air and defense capabilities and is implementing this step by step, in a planned manner.
"A GREAT THREAT TO THE BALANCE OF AIR FORCES IN THE AEGEAN"
Again, the Greece-based Documentonews.gr headlined, "Erdoğan expects F-35, Eurofighter, and Meteor after meeting with Trump," stating, "Erdoğan and Trump exchanged 'goodwill' messages at the NATO Summit," and added: "The arms race in the Aegean Sea is entering a new escalation phase because Turkey is making moves that have the potential to disrupt the current balance of power. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed in a statement after the NATO Summit in The Hague that simultaneous negotiations are ongoing for two critical defense programs: Turkey's re-inclusion in the F-35 program and the purchase of European-made Eurofighter fighter jets, along with long-range Meteor missiles. This dual move poses a significant threat to the balance of air forces in the Aegean and has caused serious alarm bells to ring in Athens."
"TURKEY IS IN A STRONG ORIENTATION TOWARDS EUROPE"
The publication added a subheading "Other major threat" for the Eurofighter with Meteor missiles, stating: "However, beyond the U.S., Turkey is also in a strong orientation towards Europe. According to Erdoğan, negotiations are ongoing for the procurement of a total of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in two phases with the United Kingdom and Germany. The talks also include the integration of Meteor missiles into these aircraft, which could fundamentally change the balance in the airspace. Meteors are air-to-air missiles with a range of over 100 kilometers, capable of hitting beyond visual range (BVR) targets before the attacker is even detected. While Greece's Rafale aircraft can carry a maximum of 4 of these missiles, each Eurofighter can carry 6 Meteor missiles. This gives the Turkish Air Force a first-strike advantage, making them a much more dangerous opponent.
As Turkey gradually rebuilds its rearmament agenda, Greece is sticking to a piecemeal strengthening strategy: upgrading F-16s to Viper level, acquiring 24 Rafale (delivered), expectations for F-35, and possible cooperation with Israel for Iron Dome-type air defense systems. However, all these steps do not directly eliminate the threat posed by Turkey obtaining the Eurofighter + Meteor combination, especially if this coincides with Turkey's re-entry into the F-35 program or the activation of the domestically produced TF-X aircraft.