Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara Tuesday evening for the 36th NATO Summit, carrying a clear me...

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara Tuesday evening for the 36th NATO Summit, carrying a clear message: Greece stands firm on building a stronger European defense, and it expects its record as a reliable ally to be recognized. The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, opens with a leaders' dinner Tuesday night. The main sessions follow Wednesday morning, with the central focus on implementing NATO's agreed target of raising member defense spending to 5% of GDP across the alliance. Greece is already ahead of most allies. Athens crossed the 3.5% of GDP threshold for defense spending in 2026, placing it among only five NATO members to do so. Mitsotakis is also expected to present Greece's new 12-year military modernization program, worth approximately 25 billion euros. One of the sharpest issues for Athens at this summit is a potential move by Washington to return Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program. The question has no clear answer yet, with US intentions still unannounced. Greece has noted that the existing congressional restrictions on Turkey remain in force, and any change would require a new vote in Congress. Athens is also positioning itself as a counterpoint in that conversation. Greece has already secured its own place in the F-35 program and is moving forward with acquiring the advanced jets, a detail Greek officials are expected to emphasize directly. Beyond NATO commitments, Mitsotakis has consistently pushed for greater EU autonomy in defense and security, arguing that Brussels must back European defense industry expansion with concrete funding tools. The Greek position is that the war in Ukraine has made deeper EU defense investment unavoidable. A bilateral meeting between Trump and Erdogan on the sidelines is drawing close attention from Athens, given what it could mean for the F-35 question and for the broader balance of US-Turkey-Greece relations. #NATO #Greece #F35