WASHINGTON, June 27 (BalkanView) – Four Greek-American Republican members of the U.S. Congress have publicly opposed the Trump administration’s planned sale of American-made F110 fighter jet engines to Turkey, arguing that Ankara’s policies continue to undermine regional stability and should disqualify it from deeper defense cooperation with Washington.
Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Haridopolos and Jimmy Patronis issued a joint statement expressing what they described as “deep concern” over reports that the administration intends to proceed with the sale of General Electric engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The lawmakers argued that Turkey remains a destabilizing actor in the Eastern Mediterranean due to its disputed maritime claims, its continued military presence in northern Cyprus and what they described as increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel.
“The Eastern Mediterranean has the potential to become a beacon of commercial opportunity, energy cooperation and regional security,” the lawmakers said, adding that Turkey’s actions threaten efforts to strengthen strategic partnerships among U.S. allies in the region.
The four lawmakers also criticized Ankara’s relationship with Hamas and noted that Turkey remains the only NATO member state that has not imposed sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, raising what they called serious questions about Turkey’s reliability as an ally.
The intervention comes days after reports that the Trump administration plans to notify Congress of a proposed sale of more than 80 F110 engines, valued at more than $700 million, for Turkey’s KAAN fighter program.
The lawmakers said they are actively engaging with the White House and congressional leadership to obtain additional information about the proposed sale and reiterated their opposition to any future effort to readmit Turkey into the F-35 fighter jet program.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, triggering U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
The latest congressional intervention highlights growing political resistance in Washington to efforts aimed at normalizing defense relations with Ankara, despite indications that President Donald Trump is seeking to improve ties with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of next month’s NATO summit in Turkey.
The dispute over military cooperation with Turkey has increasingly become intertwined with broader geopolitical concerns involving Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Russia and NATO’s strategic posture in the Eastern Mediterranean.