NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrives to hold a press conference ahead of a NATO leaders summit in Ankara, July 6, 2026. [Yves Herman/Reuters]
As NATO prepares to meet in Ankara on Tuesday, Greece is closely watching whether the summit yields new US commitments to Turkey on defense cooperation, while broader Alliance discussions on security, defense production and support for Ukraine highlight Ankara’s growing importance to NATO, the United States and the European Union.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has used the runup to the summit, the second held on Turkish soil since the Alliance’s founding, to press several demands, particularly toward the US.
In Athens, attention is focused on whether US President Donald Trump will publicly signal support for the sale of engines for Turkey’s developing KAAN fighter jet or commit to selling fifth-generation F-35 aircraft. Trump could make symbolic moves on the latter issue, including announcing the lifting of sanctions imposed under the CAATSA law. However, any move involving the F-35 would require separate action with Congress, where no such political climate currently exists.
Recent public debate has also centered on two new NATO commands in Turkey. Greece has not objected to the Maritime Component Command in Istanbul, a NATO structure under Turkish command with responsibility for the Black Sea. Turkey operates there under the provisions of the 1936 Montreux Convention.
