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A senior Greek military source said Athens' air force has already "locked in" its own stealth fighter advantage and is unconcerned by Turkish pressure to acquire F-35 jets and secure engines for its KAAN fighter program, according to a report by To Vima.
According to the source, cited by the Greek publication To Vima, Greece's military leadership has prepared for this scenario for years. "We are ready for every scenario," the source said.
"We have been preparing for a development like this for years; we haven't been caught by surprise. The Air Force will start receiving the first of 20 F-35s from 2029, with an option for 20 more, so it doesn't concern us what Türkiye does," the source added.
To Vima reported that the Greek government had focused, ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, on the proposed sale of American engines for the Turkish KAAN fighter and any potential unlocking of F-35 access for Türkiye by the U.S. Greece's military leadership, however, said it was prepared for every possible outcome.
President Erdogan stated that Donald Trump has adopted a "positive approach" regarding the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, expressing optimism that Ankara would eventually receive the fifth-generation aircraft. "(Mr.) Trump actually has a positive approach toward Türkiye on the F-35 issue. Hopefully, when the F-35s are delivered to Türkiye, the whole world will say, 'America kept its promise,'" Erdogan remarked.
Responding to a question about U.S. sanctions, Erdogan noted that Washington is no longer actively enforcing punitive measures against Türkiye.
"At the moment, the United States is not applying any sanctions against us. To a large extent, they have been lifted," he explained, adding that senior Turkish officials, including the defense minister, foreign minister, chief of the general staff, and vice president, had firsthand knowledge that the restrictions were no longer active.
Türkiye was originally suspended from the F-35 program in 2019 during Trump's first term after Washington objected to Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system, arguing that the Russian hardware could compromise the stealth jet's technology.
Ankara has repeatedly maintained that there is no technical conflict between the two systems, even proposing a joint commission to study the issue.
The Turkish government continues to argue that its suspension violated established program rules and that the acquisition of the jets would ultimately strengthen NATO as a whole.
At a joint appearance with Erdogan at the Ankara summit, Trump said the United States would consider selling F-35s to Türkiye and described Ankara as having been "in many ways much more loyal" than some other partners.
Erdogan, for his part, said the two leaders had discussed the jet engine program, dismissed Greek and Israeli objections to the potential sale, and told reporters, "Keep watching us."
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