Turkey's bid to acquire F-35 fighter jets is looking increasingly dead in the water, and Athens has a clearer picture of...

Turkey's bid to acquire F-35 fighter jets is looking increasingly dead in the water, and Athens has a clearer picture of why after Greek officials met with their American counterparts at the UN General Assembly in New York last week. The Greek delegation, led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, came away with a firm assessment: Turkey's F-35 ambitions are entering a prolonged period of uncertainty, with little prospect of a breakthrough anytime soon. Ankara had been riding a wave of optimism over the summer, buoyed by a string of comments from Donald Trump suggesting the issue could be wrapped up before the US midterm elections. That didn't happen. Congress adjourned before the vote without lifting the sanctions blocking Turkey from the program. Greek officials believe the realistic ceiling here is Turkey receiving the six F-35 aircraft it already paid for, and even that would take significant political maneuvering in Washington for minimal operational gain. The political winds are shifting against Ankara too. Athens expects the post-election environment in Washington to harden further against Turkey, especially if Trump loses control of the House. Any legal challenges that reshape Trump's second-term priorities would add another layer of difficulty. There are other signals pointing the same direction. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack recently said Turkey has a "self-sufficient defense industry" regardless of whether it gets the American jets, a comment widely read as managing expectations downward. Turkish media reports are now indicating Ankara is shifting focus toward upgrading its existing F-16 fleet instead. Turkey was originally expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia's S-400 missile defense system. Israeli objections to Turkish F-35 access have also remained a persistent obstacle. #GreeceUSA #TurkeyF35 #Aegean