Four Greek-American members of Congress are pressing the Trump administration over a proposed U.S. military sale of jet engines to Turkey, warning that Ankara’s conduct in the Eastern Mediterranean should weigh heavily in any decision on deeper defense cooperation.
Representatives Gus Bilirakis of Florida, Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Mike Haridopolos of Florida, and Jimmy Patronis of Florida issued a joint statement on June 29 saying they were “deeply concerned” by reports of the sale. They pointed to Turkey’s disputed maritime claims, its continued occupation of Cyprus, its rhetoric toward Israel, its harboring of Hamas, and what they described as Turkey’s position as the only NATO member refusing to sanction Russia.
The statement followed a Reuters report that the administration was moving ahead with a sale of General Electric F110 jet engines worth more than $700 million to Turkey. The engines are intended for KAAN, Turkey’s domestic combat aircraft program, and the move has been read in Washington as a gesture to Ankara ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 7 and 8 in Turkey’s capital.
The engine sale is not the same as an F-35 sale. But the two questions now sit close together. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after taking delivery of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which U.S. officials said could compromise the stealth fighter. Turkey was later penalized under CAATSA, the U.S. sanctions law used against Ankara over the S-400 purchase.
The Greek-American lawmakers said they are engaging the administration and House leadership to seek more information and oppose “any prospect of Turkey’s reintegration into the F-35 program” without full compliance with U.S. law. Congress has also placed a legal barrier around the F-35 issue, prohibiting transfers to Turkey while Ankara retains the S-400 system unless required certifications are made.
Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the State Department of bypassing congressional review on the Turkey arms sale. In a June 24 statement, Meeks said the administration had not provided a written rationale or emergency justification and had refused for months to brief him on the sale’s implications for U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey’s S-400 system, and other regional security concerns.
The formal notification set off a short congressional clock. Lawmakers have 15 days from the date of notification to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval, which would have to pass both chambers and could still face a presidential veto. With the notification dated June 24, that review period runs directly into the NATO summit in Ankara.
Malliotakis has separately sharpened the F-35 argument. Greek Reporter, citing a Bloomberg interview, reported July 1 that she said she was “100% opposed” to Turkey receiving F-35 fighter jets, pointing to Ankara’s ties with Russia and Iran, its posture toward Israel, its flights over Greek islands, and the occupation of Cyprus.
For Athens and Nicosia, the question reaches beyond U.S.-Turkey relations. The F-35 has become part of the regional military balance. Greece finalized plans in July 2024 to procure 20 F-35 aircraft through a U.S. Foreign Military Sale, with an option for 20 more.
For Greek-American lawmakers and advocacy groups, the argument follows a familiar line: Turkey’s place in NATO should not erase questions about its actions toward Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Russia. The proposed sale of F110 engines has given those concerns new traction in Congress, days before NATO leaders gather in Ankara.