ANKARA — U.S. President Donald Trump offered to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during his visit to Ankara on July 7, 2026. Greek officials fear the potential sale could undermine the military balance in the Aegean.

Athens is scheduled to receive its first 20 F-35 fighter aircraft between 2028 and the early 2030s. Vassilis Nedos, a diplomatic and defense correspondent, said, "The Hellenic Air Force wants to keep its air superiority over the Aegean." Nedos added, "The possibility of Turkey acquiring F-35s is certainly not a welcome one."

Athens has repeatedly communicated its concerns about the F-35 deal to successive U.S. administrations. "The opinions of the Greek government are very well known to the US government," Nedos said. He stated, "Greece cannot interfere directly because this is ultimately a discussion between two sovereign nations—the United States and Turkey—but Greece has certainly raised its concerns."

Prior to 2023, there were daily overflights over Greek islands in the Aegean, daily violations, and dangerous dogfights. "Of course, the security concern that Turkey poses for both Israel and Greece is a factor that solidifies the relationship between the two countries," Nedos said. He added, "But I believe it is in the best interests of both countries to continue that ever-closer cooperation regardless of whether there was Turkey or no Turkey."

Disputes between Greece and Turkey involve maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zones, and the continental shelf. Turkey maintains a "gray zones" doctrine disputing Greek sovereignty over some islands in the Aegean. "Turkey always poses some peculiar theories," Nedos said. "One of them is the gray zones theory, according to which some islands in the Aegean—even inhabited ones—were supposedly never ceded to Greece in 1923 or, in the case of the Dodecanese, in 1947."

Devastating earthquakes struck southern Turkey in 2023. "A window of opportunity for discussion opened after the disastrous earthquakes in southern Turkey," Nedos said. "Those events opened channels of communication that proved very useful after years of heightened tensions." Trump shook hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on July 7, 2026. "With elections coming in Greece and possibly elections in Turkey in the near future as well, I think the possibility of meaningful discussions leading to something substantial is very distant," Nedos said.